The Fog of War (On Hold)
by KSausage
Summary: War is not always black and white. Witness the Rebellion from the early years until the last stand through the eyes of those who fought in it. Watch as the lines between good and evil starts to blur as the war takes its toll on Earth. Warning: Contains dark themes and mainly OCs. (Currently on hold for revision)
1. Prologue

**So this story is kinda like a prequel to the Steven Universe storyline, giving readers an insight on the Homeworld's point of view of the Rebellion. It was inspired by a piece of dialogue that Greg had said during 'The Return' and has been stuck in my head for sometime. . I'm intending on adding some heavy themes in this story later on. Because as Greg would've put it, "No such thing as a good war, kiddo."**

 **I'm just going to give a short summary on when this story is set placed.**

 **The year is 3760 B.C.E and it's been 10 years since the Great Diamond Authority have established their colony on Earth. But their plans are halted by the presence of a group of rebels known as the Crystal Gems, led by Rose Quartz. White Diamond has since ruled Homeworld alone while trying to find a more peaceful solution to end the rebellion and perhaps even save a few humans in the process.**

* * *

 **Prologue**

Through the windows of her tower, White Diamond gazed at the skyline of Neo Adamas, where the rising Sun slowly consumed the grey sky in orange. Below, she could see the various spacecrafts coming and going from the space port. Most of them were transport carriers bringing materials, supplies and soldiers to their newly discovered planet, Earth; a planet so rich with organic life until it would make a suitable Kindergarden planet.

 _Earth is ideal for an industry planet,_ White Diamond thought. _But haven't we already had enough planets colonized?_ She had grown tired of her sisters' ambitions for global expansion. Always take this planet and that planet then colonize it. Homeworld has now expanded to five star systems and colonized over 100 planets. So why must they conquer another one?

That wasn't White Diamond's decision to make. Like the color of her gemstone embedded on her forehead, she maintained neutrality, often choosing what seems to be the best decision for both sides, earning her the title, The Fair Diamond from her other sisters.

The door behind her opened, revealing a Pearl with milky-white skin and wearing a white dress slowly walking towards her mistress.

"Forgive me to interrupt, my Diamond," said the Pearl in a courteous manner. "The Diamonds are requesting to speak with you."

White Diamond sighed before she pulled up her hood. "Very well, Pearl. You may leave and continue with your duties."

Obediently, the Pearl obeyed and left the room without saying a single word. The lighting in the room soon dimmed down as the windows were darkened, preventing any sunlight from entering. A beam of light emerged from the centre of the room before it split into two, diamond-shaped screens of yellow and blue. Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond soon appeared in their respective screens. Both were equally powerful and well-respected like her.

"Ah, White Diamond," Yellow Diamond spoke. "It's so good to see you again." Hard was what she was known for. She was acting Military Governor of Earth in response to the troublesome activities caused by a group of rebel Gems. She wore a yellow military coat decorated with medals, ribbons and diamond-shaped epaulettes as befit a Military Governor.

"As am I, Yellow Sister," White Diamond replied before turning towards Blue Diamond's screen. "And you too, Blue Sister. So how goes the colonization of Earth?"

"Terrible," Blue Diamond expressed her frustration under her hooded face. "Our Injector teams are constantly being harassed by the rebels and we only managed to complete the Lunar Sea Spire. I thought your soldiers would deal with them, Yellow Sister."

"They _are_ dealing with them." Yellow Diamond rebutted. "Rose Quartz is proven to be more elusive than I had expected. And the presence of a defective Pearl as her second-in-command is making the other upper-class Gems a bit concerned about their own Pearls."

"Then we'll just offer free inspections and repairs for them at the G.T.C Centers." White Diamond suggested. Her wisdom and decisive actions was the reason the Great Diamond Authority was able to maintain order in their vast empire and it was that reason she'd stayed in Neo Adamas while her Diamond sisters were busy colonizing Earth.

"You are ever so wise, White Sister." Blue Diamond praised, agreeing to her decision. "This would ensure the noble Gems' loyalty to us, including the Pearls. After all, no one can resist a generous offering from the Great Diamond Authority."

"Yes, yes. Speaking of generous offerings," Yellow Diamond flicked her screen and displayed her reports. "There have been reports of 'unwanted visitors' coming to Earth."

"Unwanted visitors?" White Diamond asked in curiosity.

"Crooks, outlaws, smugglers and all of their kind are flocking into Earth under the guise as workers to join Rose's ever-growing rebellion." She revealed in disgust. "It seems every one of them is buying in the words of a traitor. Betraying the Homeworld for freedom? Hmph, I would say it's a foolish cause."

 _Oh yes it is a foolish cause indeed, Yellow Sister. Enough to get Pink Diamond wrongfully executed._ "Then persuade them to stop joining Rose Quartz's army. Offer them an Octahedral pardon in exchange for their loyalty towards the Homeworld and the whereabouts of Rose Quartz. Give them credits, a house, anything they lack which we can give."

Blue Diamond only froze, placing a hand on her mouth to cover the shock while Yellow Diamond widened her eyes, gritting her teeth as she suppressed the anger boiling inside of her.

"I would prefer to have their gemstones crushed for their intolerance!" she declared with a tone of half-suppressed anger. "They are _rebels_ , they don't deserve any pardons, only punishment and death."

She had got her sister right where she wanted. Being angry makes her sister do rash actions, rash actions that can be easily manipulated by her if she played her cards right. It was always fun to mess with her from time to time. "And where would that bring us, my dear sister?" she began her ploy with a resounding question. "It would provide another reason for them to join Rose Quartz's army." She heard a small snicker coming from Blue Diamond's screen before continuing. "My decisions are made for the best of Homeworld _and_ our colonies; both current and future ones. I don't want this rebellion to rage on into an all-out war. The sooner we finish this rebellion, the sooner you two can resume the colonization activity."

Yellow Diamond stood there, thinking about what her sister had said. Her anger diminished with each passing second until her eyes calmed down and she let out a breath. It was easy to anger her, but calming her down was an ability only a few Gems could do.

"Very well, we will give them an Octahedral pardon. But _,_ only _after_ they served 10 years in suspended imprisonment and reveal the rebels' activities and whereabouts. Yellow Diamond, signing out."

"I say that was well done, White Sister." Blue Diamond proclaimed as the communication line between them and Yellow Diamond was terminated.

"To be honest, I thought she wouldn't fall for it." White Diamond confessed. "By the way, have you seen the schematics I've shown you for the human settlement?"

"Yes, this, _Project Atlantis_ is quite… interesting. Tell me White Sister, why do you take interest in these humans?"

"They're very curious little organisms. They seem to be fairly civilized despite their primitive nature. I believe we can further evolve their civilization if we guide their way."

Blue Diamond lowered her head and shook in slight disagreement. "You do know that when we start hollowing the planet, all organic life will die, including the humans."

"I know," She solemnly agreed. "That is why I'm asking you and Yellow Diamond to give me a portion of the planet for me to keep. It's certainly not as much as Rose Quartz wanted and you can still have enough of the planet's life energy to mine."

"You know as well as I do that everyone respects your decisions, White." It was one of the only few times Blue Diamond had ever said her first name and that was when she was in her very good mood. "But unless the threat of the rebels has been eliminated, your request will be on hold. I will however, give you the resources to continue Project Atlantis. I hope to see this project you have put high hopes on be completed in the near future. Blue Diamond, signing out."

White Diamond could only sigh in relief as the room lightened up. With Blue Diamond backing up her project, she could only wait for the time when Gems and another different species could live together. Atlantis was her grand masterpiece, a safehaven and settlement for humans who wanted to live on a Gem-occupied Earth. She had already sent probes to scout the different sectors in the planet, hoping to gain more information on the humans' culture, lifestyle and society then integrate it into her project. The only problem she had was convincing Yellow Diamond to let her keep a portion of the Earth. Without her approval, her vision of a sanctuary will be destroyed the moment they start hollowing the Earth.

 _If only I had someone to convince her._ White Diamond thought. _Someone that has the same expertise as her, someone who has experience in the battlefield, someone reliable and trustworthy, someone…_

Before an image could appear in her head, the Pearl entered the room again. "Forgive me, my Diamond." She said in the same courteous manner as before. "But there is a 'Sol' waiting in your office."

Hearing the name, White Diamond grinned. _Someone like Sol._

* * *

Sunstone Facet 5F7G Cut 50L was no ordinary Gem. He was Feldspar; Gems more powerful and superior than Quartzes during their prime time. But that was in the past. Now he and his brother, Orthoclase were ghosts of a forgotten Gem species.

He waited at White Diamond's office which was unsurprisingly, white and pure, nearly spotless of dirt. He was dressed in his standard orange diamond outfit with a charcoal vest. The faded diamond-shaped emblem was visible behind it. The cool air breezed through his black hair, writhing through the air like fire.

He then heard the massive door slid open. White Diamond entered wearing her white robes with ashen-grey accents. She was nearly four times the height of Sol. Even her chair looked like a small building.

"Sol," White Diamond greeted him with a kind and friendly voice before she took her seat. "How fortunate you came by. I was just thinking about you."

"Really, my Diamond?" Sol quipped. "Because the only time you have ever thought about me is when you have something for me to do."

The giant robed woman giggled, having her plans revealed by her servant's wild guess. "Well, it seems my secret has been exposed. Yes, I do have a task for you but for now, let's talk like friends."

White Diamond has always been a friend to him and his brother ever since they were created. She treated them like a friend instead of a servant, though only showing this when the other Diamonds weren't around. They exchanged stories on what happened to them during the day. White Diamond sharing her ideas of Project Atlantis and her disappointment towards her fellow Diamonds' continued colonization activities while Sol expressed his boredom due to the lack of action happening around the Homeworld. He was part of White Diamond's Expeditionary Force but due to his leader's neutrality towards the colonization of Earth, he had been resorted to serve as a temporary police officer to maintain order around Neo Adamas.

"So how's your brother, Sol?" White Diamond asked.

"Quiet, and depressed," Sol solemnly answered as he laid back on the couch. "He's been like that ever since he found out _she_ had joined Rose's Rebellion. And it gets worse every time the Homeworld News broadcasts her defeat over Yellow Diamond's army." He had once went to Orthoclase's mountainside home to check-up on him, only to find the interior of his house slashed and destroyed with his brother's tantrum of rage echoing through the corridors. But on the next day, everything was repaired and placed back on its original position with Orthoclase meditating outside. He could never understand the pain and suffering his brother had gone through that day.

Snapping himself out of the dreadful memory, Sol wanted to change the subject. "Alright, I think that's enough personal talk, my Diamond. Now tell me about this mission you have for me."

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how bored are you?"

"8.5," Sol answered, confused at the question. "Don't get me wrong, I like chasing criminals and the desk work. But it's just not like the expeditionary days when things were a little… intense."

"Intense huh? Well this mission might just suit you well enough." She then summoned a screen from the palm of her hands and displayed it in front of Sol's couch. "How knowledgeable are you on the current events on Earth."

The question rang like a rank 1 pop quiz in the Military Academy. "Earth is being colonized by the Homeworld, led by Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond. Their progress is temporarily being halted by a group of rebels led by Rose Quartz who was Pink Diamond's subordinate. Currently, the progress to full colonization has just reached 1%."

White Diamond nodded to all except for the last one. "Mathematically, it's actually 0.97% complete. I guess this means you're ready for Earth."

Sol was surprised at his newly-assigned mission. He thought he would at least get a simple reconnaissance mission to an uncharted area of a colonized planet. But this, this was quite a reprieve from his daily job. Yet, he was skeptical on why he was selected.

"But White Diamond, I thought you said you kept your neutrality in the colonization of Earth. Why the sudden change of heart?"

White Diamond shrugged before explaining. "Well it's more personal rather than of interest. You do know about Project Atlantis and my plans to preserve a portion of Earth once it's colonized right?" After getting a nod of understanding from her friend, she continued. "Blue Diamond has already agreed on funding my project, but she will not give away a portion of Earth to me unless the rebels have been taken care of. And currently, Yellow Diamond is taking care of the rebels and she is too busy to look into my plans."

Sol was starting to see the bigger picture here. "So let me guess, you want me to go to Earth and help Yellow Diamond take care of the rebels who, in turn, solves Blue Diamond's problem and in return, you get both the Diamonds' approval to let you keep a portion of Earth?"

"Exactly." White Diamond smiled in amusement to see him crack her motives so quickly. "In short, you'll be my representative; my eyes and ears on Earth and the hand that carries out my orders. You'll follow the other Diamonds' orders, gain their trust and convince them to give me my share of Earth. Oh, and be sure to gather some intel on the humans. I need it for my research."

"So when can I get started?" Sol was already eager to get back out in the field. Exploring the great unknown and discovering foreign creatures. That was life in the Expeditionary Force.

"You'll board the _H.N.S._ _Gemini_ at 0400 tomorrow at Phyrus Space Port. Best you pack up and prepare."

"I will," He bowed in respect before standing up to leave. "And thank you for this, my Diamond. It really means a lot to me to get out in the field again."

"The pleasure is all mine, Sol. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make some calls to my Diamond sisters to inform them of your arrival." White Diamond stood up and went out of the office. Her subtle footsteps resonated through the room until the door closed, leaving Sol to ponder at his thoughts.

"Earth," He said to himself. It was like a mystifying word; so simple yet it brought a lot of meaning. To him, it meant adventure and exploration. To the Homeworld, it meant a new colony and new resources. But what struck out the most for him was why the rebels fought _for_ Earth. _Betraying Homeworld just to save one planet._ He couldn't help but laugh at the irrationality of the idea. White Diamond had a similar yet smaller scale idea that didn't involve invoking the wrath of the Diamonds and so did Pink Diamond if her subordinate didn't cause that incident which led to her execution.

He let himself sink deep into his thoughts before the glaring sunlight from the windows awoken him with a rejuvenated energy. He looked out the window to see Neo Adamas's towering spires overshadowed by the planet's Sun and pictured a colonized Earth with hundreds of them dotting the surface, reaching out to space and his Diamond's Atlantis floating in the middle of the sea with humans interacting with the middle-class Gems.

 _If this works, maybe Rose Quartz would see her mistake and just surrender. And if she doesn't, then it would only make her life more difficult._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I created White Diamond as a sort of 'negotiator' among the Diamonds. Someone who could solve problems without causing more problems.**

 **Vocabulary:**

 **G.T.C Center - General Treatment & Care Center**


	2. Welcome to Earth

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Earth**

There was nothing but the pitch black darkness of space as Sol gazed outside, laying down on his flatbed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed he'd laid his back on but it was better than the flat hard ground he'd slept on. Gems weren't supposed to sleep so he had asked for the captain to give him a table for his 'research'. The holographic table gave him a fuzzy feeling akin to receiving a minor jolt of electricity.

Twelve years have passed since he had left Homeworld _._ Travelling between galaxies was very time-consuming, even while using _faster-than-light_ engines. But for Gems, time doesn't really matter. A whole month could go by in space and they wouldn't even realize it. The _H.M.S. Gemini_ was a fine oblong-shaped ship carrying soldiers and equipment for Earth with six tachyon boosters to drive it. He'd admit that he expected to spend five whole months of boredom trapped inside a flying metal container but he was proven wrong when he saw how well-accommodated the ship was.

There was a training room below the hangar that constantly bellowed of Quartzes training. Their brutish appearance were only matched by their raw strength and speed. Sol had a chance to test their mettle against his, promising 1000 credits if one of them managed to defeat him in single combat. It ended up being a refreshing warm-up for him and a gauntlet of pain and groans for the 50 Quartzes he'd faced.

He remembered that he gave Orthoclase an interplanetary phone for him to use before he had left. But seeing how his brother preferred the older ways of Homeworld, he didn't expect to receive a message from him.

But still, out of curiosity, Sol dialed in Orthoclase's number, hoping for him to pick up but it went straight to the voicemail. "Hey, this is Sunstone Facet 5F7G…"

 _Damn that brother of mine. He didn't even change the voicemail._ Hopeless, he ended the call and proceeded to do push-ups on the floor. Frustration filled his head as he bobbed up and down. _Perhaps this is all my fault._ He thought. _I shouldn't have gift him that Pearl. Wait no, I can't blame myself. I could help him get it off his chest if he would just talk to me._

"Attention all crew members and passengers," The ship's captain echoed his announcement through the speakers that lined the corridors and hangar. "We will be entering Earth's orbit in ETA 30 minutes. All military personnel, please assemble at the hangar."

That was his cue to pack up and finally get off the ship. The floor trembled as hundreds of soldiers, Quartzes and Rubies hurried down the stairs, carrying their luggage. They were all lined up in front of the dozens of dropships. Their commanding officers were busy checking if they had lost a soldier or two in the crowd. There was no space port on Earth. So the Gems had to be transported down to Earth via dropships. All thanks to Rose Quartz.

Sol entered his dropship which was packed full of Quartz soldiers. He took one survey of the cockpit and saw that they were all yellow with a badge with the image of a lightning bolt striking a planet stitched on their sleeves. _The 3rd YD Quartz Division,_ Sol observed. They were better known as the Lightning Division and served as Yellow Diamond's elite soldiers. All of them were Citrines, hand-picked through a series of brutal and rigorous training.

Yellow Diamond believed in something called, 'Gem Singularity', an ideology which states that multiple Gems of the same variant and type could be more dominant than a group of different types of Gems. She'd proved her point by creating four divisions that solely consisted of yellow-colored Gems.

Sol felt like a small Gem standing below towering giants as he sat between two of the Citrines. The smell of gas, oil and silicon was heavy inside until it twisted his nose.

"What's a wimp like you doing here?" One of the Citrine's asked in a hostile tone. She looked more male than female with her beefy arms and thick muscles.

He tried to retaliate a stern warning but his mouth wouldn't open. _Just let her talk crap at you, Sol._ He told himself. _Last thing you need is to piss off Yellow Diamond._

"Hey, did you hear me? Answer me, wimp!" The Citrine unbuckled her safety belt and rose up from her seat to beat the sense out of Sol. But before she could fully stand up, a hand on her shoulder shoved her back down into her seat.

"Are you thick, soldier!?" Another Citrine shouted. He appeared to be the commanding officer based on the rank on his sleeves. "That's White Diamond's representative you're insulting over there. Anything he hears, _she_ will hear. So unless you want your gemstone to be crushed, sit down and shut your mouth!"

"Y.. ye.. yes, sir." The arrogant Citrine was soon shivering with fear as she clumsily buckled her safety belt, her eyes looking down in shame.

"I'm sorry for my soldier's incompetence, Sunstone. I hope you will not report this to White Diamond." The Citrine officer apologized.

"Don't worry, sir. I'll turn a blind eye on this one."

"Name's Citrine Facet 3T7G Cut 86K, but my men call me Thunderfist. Don't need to tell you where I got that from."

"So you're the one commanding the Lightning Division, Thunderfist?"

"Yup!" The Citrine proudly answered as he took his seat. "Been leading this group for nearly three decades and with a clean record to boot."

Before Thunderfist could continue, the cockpit doors closed and the dropship started its departure. The spacecraft transitioned from _Gemini's_ hangar and into the vast frontier of space. Earth was visible on Sol's right side. It was so round, so blue, so… fat. _I can see why the Diamonds wanted to hollow out this planet._ He chuckled at his own joke to which the Citrines didn't pay attention to.

As the dropship descended into Earth's atmosphere, cutting through layers of clouds, Sol could see the vague outlines of Earth's landmass covered in a blanket of greenery with silent waves of the sea crashing its shores. There were a few struck of awes from the soldiers who looked out through the window. Clearly they had never seen a pre-hollowed planet before. _How could they. They were created and trained for combat, not sightseeing._

The dropship banked right, revealing a giant circular structure above a body of water. Small figures were squirming around the platform, building and repairing the warp pads that dotted the platform.

"The Galaxy Warp," Thunderfist commented as they flew by it. "If it weren't for those traitors and their cowardly tactics, we would have had five divisions deployed on Earth in just a couple of days."

Sol finally arrived at his destination as the ship landed on the artificial island. He was the first to step foot on the foreign soil and the first to breathe in its air which was crisp but smelled of sodium chloride. His skin bathed in the planet's sunlight, giving him the much needed energy he had lost during his five month voyage.

"All non-military personnel, please report to the Customs Department." He heard the announcer said.

He bid farewell to Thunderfist before heading towards the Customs Department which was a highly secured facility built between the entryway. Two Quartzes were on guard while Rubies inspect the newly arrivals' contents and the Pearls registering their identification number. There was no shortage of workers here on Earth. Colonization activities meant open jobs for any Gems who met the requirements. This also meant that security had to be tightened as Rose Quartz's offer of freedom had attracted even the lowliest of scum.

"Please step into the geometric scanner, sir." A Pearl asked him as she registered his name and identification number. When the scan was complete, she gave him his luggage. "Welcome to Earth, Sunstone. Please remain in the Homeworld-controlled zones for your own safety."

Sol walked out of the Customs Department, only to see nothing but water and small islands. There were no towering spires to be seen, not even the foundations. Workers were everywhere, but they were doing maintenance work rather than building.

He decided to pull out a capsule-shaped device from his pocket and began his recording.

 _ **Sol's Battlelog: 1**_

 _I've arrived on Earth and was quite surprised on how far the colonization process had been set backed by the rebels. There's no sign of any spires being built and all the work is concentrated on building the Galaxy Wrap._

 _Yellow Diamond has deployed her Lightning Division to the area, further suggesting that the rebels are far from weakened. I will discuss with her on how to deal with them once I've reached the shore and meet my guide._

 _Sol, signing out._

* * *

Sol found his supposed guide resting inside an all-terrain buggy outside the docks. The buggy was a rugged, open chassis vehicle with large wheels and painted with an earthen tone.

 _A Ruby?_ Sol was disappointed when he saw the small red gem snoring away in the driver's seat. _Yellow Diamond must be pulling a joke on me._

He poked at the Gem's bloating belly, causing her to wake up and accidentally pressed her feet on the car horn, creating much unneeded noise.

"Are you my guide?" He asked with an annoyed look.

"No sir, I'm just the driver. Your guide's inside there." She pointed at the Quartermaster's Warehouse.

The Quartermaster's Warehouse was located just near the docks. It was mostly a place where soldiers could get extra supplies or provisions. Metal crates were stacked as high as the ceiling could afford while an unmanned robot was moving around the perimeter of the 40 square-meter warehouse, carrying containers with its giant skeletal arms. Sol heard two Gems arguing as he went near the Quartermaster's counter.

"C'mon Bix, all I need is a new pair of boots. How hard is it just to ask?" A voice said.

"I'm sorry but I can't," The second voice replied. It was female but had that desk worker-like tone in it. "I can only give supplies to soldiers of the Homeworld."

" _I'm_ a Homeworld soldier." The first voice exclaimed.

" _Former_ ," the second one corrected. "And shouldn't you be outside waiting for White Diamond's representative?"

Sol turned around and saw the two Gems who were talking. The female voice was from a Bixbite, or commonly known as a Red Beryl who was the warehouse's Quartermaster. Beside her was another Gem with light pink skin, short hair and a bandanna tied on his forehead.

"I guess that must be him." The Bixbite pointed out.

The other Gem turned around with a smile on his face. "Took you long enough, Sol."

"Morganite?" Sol stood there, frozen at the sight of his old friend. They were partners for a while during his expeditionary days. Even after fifteen years, he could tell Morganite from the other Morganites just by the look of him. "I expected a guide, but I didn't expect _you_ to be my guide."

"Well work as a mercenary had been pretty dull these couple of weeks. So when I heard you were coming, I practically had to beg to Yellow Diamond to let me be your guide."

"You _begged_ to Yellow Diamond?" He found it hard to believe that Morgan, a hardened Beryl soldier, actually begged to Yellow Diamond. He was more known for his cocky behavior and combat prowess rather than his courtesy.

"Yeah," Morgan laughed before he snapped into a more serious look. "But don't tell the others unless you want a few teeth knocked out."

"I'll try." Sol quipped before the two headed outside.

The caverns echoed with the sounds of Injectors drilling into the Earth's crust and the buggy's rumbling engine made it feel like he was in some kind of machine. From the backseat of the buggy, Sol could see Injectors being moved into placed on the ground and even on the walls. Quartzes lined up above the walls looking for any signs of rebel activity while the workers were busy assembling Injectors and monitoring their progress.

He had to reset his time indicator after Morgan told him how a year on Earth is one tenth of a year on Elysium.

"So, how's Earth been treating you, my old friend?" Sol began to pass their time.

"Well I have to say, this planet has more skirmishes than Sekrion-14." Morgan laughed. "You remember Sekrion-14, right?"

"How could I," Sol remembered the memorable adventures they had throughout their tour of duties across uncharted planets. He was his right-hand Gem despite being created for Pink Diamond. "I hope you're okay with killing your former comrades."

Morganite's laughter turned into a frown. "I can't blame them," he said sullenly. "If they want to follow that traitor, then that's their call. All I want from this rebellion is a chance to personally crush Rose Quartz's gemstone."

Almost everyone had a distaste for the rebel leader, but Morgan's was more personal. He was once one of Pink Diamond's loyal commanders and when she took the blame for what Rose Quartz had done, Morgan saw that she was the reason that his leader was executed and decided to live life as a mercenary.

"You'll get your revenge soon, Morgan." Sol assured him, placing a hand on the Beryl's broad shoulder. "That is _after_ she has been captured and answered for her crimes."

Morgan shrugged, brushing off Sol's hand. "I don't know about you, but Yellow Diamond seems more intent on crushing her gemstone rather than capturing her."

They remained silent for the next hour only exchanging glances and asking how much longer the ride was. Sol realized that this rebellion meant a lot to him. He knew that he can't talk his friend down on killing Rose Quartz; he was not White Diamond. The least he could do is accompany him during battle, just like the old days.

"Hey Morga-"

Before he could say anything, artillery rained above their heads with the skies thundering of their arrival. Blasts of pink light exploded throughout the caverns as the Quartzes were shouting at the panicked workers to evacuate. One blast nearly hit their buggy but the Ruby expertly avoided it. Unfortunately, she failed to see the second blast that erupted in front of her.

The explosion sent the buggy flying along with its occupants. Sol landed on the hard dirt ground, face first with the Ruby several meters in front of him. An Amethyst landed between them, clad in robust armor and had no markings to indicate she was a Homeworld soldier.

She went to the Ruby who was struggling to get up and summoned her gem weapon; a purple battleaxe that gleamed through the fires and smokes around her.

"Die, Homeworlder!" She shouted before bringing her battleaxe down on the Ruby. She cried out a painless scream before poofing into a cloud of smoke.

The Amethyst turned her back, now looking at the Sunstone with a menacing grin. Sol tried to get up but he was kicked back down again. From where he was lying, he could see the sunlight ripple through the sharp edge of the Amethyst's battleaxe.

 _Day one of Earth and I'm already about to die,_ Sol coldly accepted his fate, but he wasn't about to die today. Suddenly, a hatchet out of nowhere flew right into the Amethyst's head, penetrating through her thin helmet. She screamed in pain as she tried to remove the hatchet but it was stuck deep.

Morganite appeared from behind the burning wreckage of the buggy and leaped towards the Quartz rebel. He grabbed the hatchet embedded on her head and yanked it down, splitting her hard light body and the gemstone on her throat into two.

"Now don't tell me you're gonna just lie down there until this whole mess is over." He quipped, offering Sol a hand. "C'mon, we got a disaster to avert here."

Sol accepted his friend's help and stood up. His clothes were stained with dirt and ash and his body ached and bruised. But there was one thing that wasn't stained. His battle-hardened spirit.

* * *

Smoke, fire and the smell of burning wreckage were everywhere as Morgan and Sol joined the soldiers on the defence. All the workers were safely evacuated except for the ones who could fight.

"I've already called in reinforcements," A Carnelian announced to them. "They'll be sending two Pyroxene gunships in 20 minutes."

"In 20 minutes, this whole place will be flattened if we don't take care of that artillery!" Morgan retorted. Then, the skies rumbled as the rebels began their second barrage. "Take cover!"

A hailstorm of pink light bombarded the ground, shaking it until it felt like the whole planet was affected by a massive earthquake. Once the barrage had receded, Morgan urged Carnelian to do something about the artillery.

"Carnelian, we need to take care-"

"I'm the one in charge here, Merc!" the Quartz rebutted. "And I say we stay here until air support comes."

That made him nearly lash out his anger if not for Sol who calmed him down.

"We can deal with the artillery battery on our own, Morgan." His friend assured to him.

Morgan nodded in agreement before they removed themselves from the soldiers.

The ground was littered with craters after the second barrage, forcing Morganite and Sol to jump across each one of them. There was also a benefit of having a field full of craters as it provided them much cover as they sneaked into the enemies' perimeter.

The day was growing dark once they finally breached the enemies' perimeter. About 40 rebel Gems were bundled up near three cannons. They were a mixed group of Quartzes, Rubies and even minor types of Gems.

"No sign of Rose Quartz." Sol observed.

"Figures," Morgan grunted. "She'd always preferred leading a great battle. Guess this wasn't too _great_ for her."

"Either way, we need to take care of those cannons. Any suggestions?"

"The platform holding the cannons looks fairly weak. Perhaps we can blow the support pillars off."

"That's a great idea." Said a sarcastic Sol. "But how are we going to blow it up if we don't even have a detpack?"

"Well you have your pyrokinesis, right? You could create an improvised detpack. That is unless you've lost your touch."

Offended, Sol flicked his fingers and fire started to come out from his hand. "I _never_ lose my touch." He said before sliding down the dirt slope and hiding behind a crate.

Morgan could see Sol stealthily manoeuvre through the rebel occupied battery. The Feldspar was always known for his gun-dagger fighting style and his mastery of pyrokinesis, being both deadly in the shadows and in open combat.

There was a guard standing between him and the support pillars. Luckily, he was standing near him so all Sol had to do was summon his dagger from his left hand and stab the guard. He managed to seal the guard's gemstone with a well-timed bubble just as it poofed, avoiding the risk of him being detected. He then shaped a fireball casted from his hands into an improvised detpack and placed it between the gaps before sinking back into the shadows to avoid the blast radius.

 _You cheeky Feldspar…_ Morgan grinned as the detpack detonated in a ball of flames. The platform came crashing down, taking all three cannons and five rebels with it. The whole area went on full alert as the soldiers scatter to search for the culprit.

He jumped down, summoning two hatchets and landing on two unsuspecting rebels. More came charging at him with their weapons. Morgan stepped back when two Rubies slammed their gauntlets onto the ground and proceeded to release a flurry of blows. Cries of pain, hard light shards and smoke filled the air as more attacked him.

Then, he heard a loud explosion followed by several rebels screaming as their bodies were caught in flames. Sol emerged from the fiery inferno with his dagger on his left hand and his revolver on his right. The smirk on his face suggests that the fire within him had reignited to the sparks of battle.

Half a dozen rebels surrounded Sol who glanced at them with his fiery eyes. One of them attacked him first, but Sol ducked under the cleaving slash that went pass his hair and stabbed the rebel right in the throat. As the rebel was left gurgling with the orange blade still stuck in his throat, the Feldspar fired three shots from his revolvers at the three other Gems before yanking his blade out and throwing it at another Gem. All five of them exploded in clouds of smoke, leaving the sole survivor, a small Hematite, shivering with fear as she tugged her weapon close to her with the Feldspar looking at her.

"Lay down your arms for your own sake," demanded Sol. It sounded more like an advice than an order from how Morganite heard it.

"Never!" the Hematite displayed her measly defiance towards the Homeworlder's order before blindly charging at him in futility. Sol fired a shot from his revolver, ending her as quickly as her show of defiance and sighed.

"It's not like she would just willingly give up, Sol." Morgan professed after Sol bubbled the Hematite's gemstone.

"I know. But it was worth the try."

Suddenly, they heard more rebels coming their way consisting of two giant Amethysts and a swarm of low-ranking Gems.

"Great," Morgan huffed. "More of those rebels."

"Well on the bright side, I got myself a nice welcoming present." Sol smiled to see the brighter side of things.

Before they could charge into the horde, two gunships flew pass them, raining down green projectiles on the rebels. They all perish under the intense fire. Their bodies were riddled with holes of various sizes. The fused Amethysts suffered the worst as they defused, unable to maintain their form, only to be annihilated by rocket fire.

"The gunships must've taken a sweet 20 minutes to get here and save our asses." Morgan quipped before the gunships turned around and aimed their guns towards the two.

"Identify yourselves or be fired upon!" The pilot ordered through his microphone. The gunship's spotlight made it hard for them to see who was in the cockpit but Morgan knew it had to be an Omphacite. They were the only ones who could skilfully pilot these heavily armed and armoured transverse rotor winged aircrafts.

"Morganite, Facet 7P9H Cut 9R5." Morgan revealed himself followed by Sol.

There was a moment of silence after that with only the sound of rotor blades slicing through the wind and dust blowing below their feet keeping them awake. Then, one of the gunships landed on the ground, still keeping its rotor blades spinning. The pilot exited her aircraft wearing her dark green flight suit and visor helmet.

She glanced at Sol with scrutiny before asking, "Are you Sunstone, White Diamond's representative?"

"Yes." He casually replied.

She then touched the microphone on her helmet and said, "Tell Yellow Diamond we have the _White Sun_ secured," She looked at Morganite and silently curled her lips. "As well as the _Pink Merc_ in tow."

Sol shot a look at Morgan. " _White Sun_?"

Morgan shrugged. "Atleast it's better than _Pink Merc._ "

The two laughed before the pilot told them to board the gunship.


	3. Rebels and Marauders

**Chapter 2: Rebels and Marauders**

The cave was dark and damp. A few Gems were scattered around the cavernous hole, sharpening their weapons, mending their armours and having a few laughs. Most of them didn't pay attention to her. _Why would they,_ Pearl thought sullenly. To them, she was just a Pearl. Even with the rank of second-in-command, they didn't show any respect for her. They only followed her orders because of Rose Quartz.

She arrived in front of Rose's quarters. A Milky Quartz was standing by the door, arms crossed and with eyes pale as snow and lifeless.

"I need to see Rose." Pearl said to the Quartz.

He looked down on the slender Gem. "Rose Quartz requests that no one disturbs her."

"I'm her second-in-command." She demanded.

The guard gave her a disgruntled look and snorted before moving aside.

 _He's mocking me. They all are._ She grimaced, clenching her fist as she entered. _Just wait until there's a battle going on. Then, I'll show them that I'm not just a Pearl._

Rose Quartz was sitting beneath a lantern, reading through the battle reports her commanders had brought in and humming a lullaby. She raised her eyes at the sound of Pearl stepping forward.

"Pearl," Calmly, she placed the reports back on her desk. "I didn't realize you entered."

"I just wanted to see you, Rose."

"I'm sure you do."

The rebel leader was a big, heavy build woman and was more beautiful than any other Quartz Pearl had seen. Pink curly hair ran down to the waist of her strapless, lilac and snow trimmed dress.

She felt so strong around her. Ever since she became her trusted companion, Pearl was always by Rose Quartz's side. She would never let anyone harm her and would willingly die for her. That reminded her of the wound she'd sustained from a recent battle with the Homeworld. A sword drove itself through her left waist but Rose's healing tears saved her.

As she stood by Rose, Pearl noticed a small e-book capsule lying near a few clay figurines on her desk. She reached for it and suddenly, it expanded, revealing the contents written on a blue screen. She narrowed her eyes on the e-book's header which said, _"Offering Octahedral Pardon."_

"Offering Octahedral Pardon?" Pearl said it out loud before two chubby pink hands closed the e-book back into its capsule form.

"That's nothing, Pearl." Rose assured to her before throwing the capsule away. "It's just another ruse to convince us to stop fighting. Bloodstone and his men managed to capture a box of them before they could be dispersed to our soldiers. We couldn't have gotten far in this rebellion if not for him and his Gems. That reminds me. Pearl, could you check on Bloodstone for a moment. I heard he'd just returned from a successful raid on Facet 45."

"But Rose, I'm supposed to be by your side. What if-" Before she could continue, Rose placed a finger on her lips and shushed her.

"Bloodstone's camp is just on the other end of the cave." She informed her. "And I'll be here, guarded by a Milky Quartz and six more soldiers."

 _But I want to be your Milky Quartz._ Pearl wanted to say that to her. Her love for her was so great, it was nearly inseparable. But reluctantly, she agreed and left.

The cave that served as the Crystal Gems' base of operation was a massive complex of underground tunnels and caverns. Due to it being underground, it made it impossible for them to be detected by the Homeworld's scanners. Each cavern housed soldiers loyal to Rose Quartz. Some were former comrades who fought with her when Pink Diamond was still alive while others were Gems sympathetic to the cause and there were also those who just wanted to live in a Homeworld-free planet.

The more Gems she passed by, the more she could feel their eyes staring down at her in disgust. _A Pearl with a rank?_ She could hear them say that inside her head, followed by laughing. She ignored the voices and laughs inside her head and continued walking. _Rose believed that I was not a defective Pearl. That I was something special,_ she reminded herself. _That's why I believe in her._

Pearl arrived at the Crimson Tide's camp. That was the name of their crew and it fit them so well. They were mostly made up of Quartzes with some Rubies serving as grunts or servants. During battle, she would occasionally see them in red armor or wearing red markings. She felt uneasy around them, even with Rose beside her.

Bloodstone was sitting on a rock, sharpening his machete with two of his soldiers beside him. They saw Pearl walking towards them and tried to stop her, but Bloodstone let her through.

"Rose's second-in-command," He announced himself with a voice cold and sharp, sheathing his machete back into the sling on his back. "What do I owe the pleasure to have you come here?"

The Crimson Tide's leader was a Quartz with almost the same height and build as Rose, but he lacked her beauty. His skin was dark green with spots of red speckled over his body and light green hair with streaks of crimson that reached down his neck. He had a militaristic look on him with his short sleeve crimson shirt under a black tactical vest. His blood red eyes were like daggers that would pierce through the self-confidence of any Gem, including Pearl.

"I.. Ro.." Pearl was stammering at the sight of the tall brute. _I must remain strong._ She urged herself. _I must do it for Rose. Do it for her._ Finally, she mustered enough confidence to speak. "Rose wanted to know about the raid on Facet 45 you had just returned from."

"Yes, Facet 45. I'm sure our righteous leader would want to know about that. But shouldn't she be the one visiting me instead of her ser… second-in-command?"

 _He was going to say servant._ She hated it when they called her that. "Rose is busy. That's why she sent me."

"Fair enough. Come, I'll show you what we've discovered."

Bloodstone showed Pearl a few crates his men had brought in after their raid. Inside were bags of grey plastic packed nicely in groups of four. One of Crimson Tide soldiers pulled out a knife and stuck it into one of the packets before pulling it out and revealing small white fine crystals pouring out of it.

"Pentaerythritol tetranitrate," Bloodstone commented. "Or PETN in short. Homeworld use them for their hollowing process."

Pearl didn't understand what 'PETN' was, but she knew it was dangerous after hearing the last sentence. "Rose Quartz will be glad that you've stopped them, Bloodstone. But were there any prisoners?"

He shook his head mournfully. "I've tried reasoning with them but those Homeworld Gems are too full of their pride."

 _Serves them right for serving the Diamonds._ "I'll make sure Rose Quartz hears of your victory." Before she could leave, Pearl heard a faint scream coming from the door nearby. "What was that?" she asked.

"That? That's just the Gems training. You know how Quartzes are."

Pearl raised an eyebrow. _I've seen Quartzes train, but I've never hear them scream._ "Are you sure they're training?" She moved closer to the door "Because I've never-"

Bloodstone suddenly placed his hand on the door, denying Pearl's entry. "They're _training._ " He insisted, putting a more serious tone. "I think you should go back to Rose Quartz. What if something happens to her while you're gone?"

Her curiosity was soon replaced with her over-protective nature towards Rose. "You're right. I should get back to Rose."

* * *

 **Warning: This section contains graphic violence.**

Bloodstone eyed on the Pearl until she was out of sight and sighed. _That was a close one._

He went to his own second-in-command, Aventurine, who was standing nearby and whispered, "Tell the Rubies to sound-proof the door next time."

"Will do, Bloodstone,"

Bloodstone entered the room and was greeted by the distant sound of screaming. Torches lit his way as he descended down the stone stairs. The screams got louder and louder the more he descended. His footsteps were heavy and brought discipline to the Gems he passed by.

He saw blue lights blinking around the corner and turned to see it coming from behind a metal door with a Jasper guarding it.

"Has the prisoner talked?" Bloodstone asked the Jasper.

"No, sir. We've already amped up the power to 100 and he's still not talking. Maybe a bit of your 'persuasion' could loosen his tongue." The guard grinned.

 _Yes, maybe it could._ He pulled out his combat gloves and gave it to the guard. "Hold these for me. I prefer to keep my hands dirty when I'm working."

He opened the door and saw a Citrine strapped against a wall with a Spinel and a Red Tourmaline poking him with two electro-rods. His screams were music to his ears as he came forward.

The Citrine was severely tortured. Slashes, burns and bruises marked every part of his body except for the gemstone on his left eye which remained intact. He was groaning then screaming as his body was poked with 100 milliamps of electricity before groaning again once they stopped. Bloodstone let the two red Gems continue with the torture until he waved his hand once he heard enough of the sweet 'music'.

"Please… kill… me…" The Citrine begged as jolts of electricity still surged through his body.

"Kill you?" Bloodstone snickered as he moved closer, holding the Gem's jaw and forcing him to look at him dead in the eye. "Now where's the fun in that? No no no, I don't want to kill you just yet. There are still a lot of things you haven't told us." He let go of the Gem's jaw and moved back.

"Where's the Homeworld base?" He asked.

"I'm… never… going to… tell you…" The Citrine spat, leaving a mark on Bloodstone's pants and let out a wheezy laugh.

He sighed as he wiped the stain and threw a jaw-breaking punch at the Gem.

"Where. Is. The Homeworld. Base!?" He furiously asked again.

It went on for what seemed like hours. Bloodstone would ask the same set of questions over and over again to the Citrine. Where's the Homeworld Base? How many are there in the field? What's their current move? Are there any weak points in their defences? All of them were replied with a weak " _Never…"_ or _"I don't know."_ which in return, gave him a fist in the jaw or a knee in the gut until Bloodstone grew tired of his charade.

"So, it's going to be like that, huh?" He pulled out his machete and started walking back and forth in a straight line, spinning his weapon with his fingers. "Tell me, do you know what's the best part about being a Gem?" He asked curiously, hiding his ill-intention.

"W… what?"

Bloodstone let out a half-suppressed laugh. "Well the answer's simple really. It's our regenerative ability." He stopped spinning his machete and moved closer to the confused Citrine.

"You might ask 'why?'. Well, let me answer that for you. When you cut off a Gem's _limb_ ," He chopped the Gem's left arm in one brutal slash. "… or _two_ ," And the other one as he screamed. "It'll regenerate, but they could still feel the pain of it. _Now_ you see why you're so lucky to be made a Gem?"

Despite being left with no arms, the Citrine was still proven to be uncooperative. "You can torture me as much as you want. But I'll never betray the Homeworld like you traitors."

Annoyed, Bloodstone felt like it was pointless to torture him again. _This Gem is made to be resilient and loyal._ "Very well, I see there's no point of torturing you any longer. Might as well kill you," With a snap of a finger, the Red Tourmaline came forward and gave him a laser-edged knife.

"Thank.. you…" the Citrine was relieved to finally have his suffering ended. But before he could say another word, Bloodstone's cold hard hand gripped his throat.

"But I never said it was going to be painless." He gave him a wicked grin before shoving the knife into his gemstone.

The Citrine squirmed and screamed as the blade drove itself further into his left eye, twisting left and right until the whole gemstone started to crack. The Red Tourmaline and Spinel looked on in silence, watching their leader perform his 'merciful' act. When he reverted back into his cracked gemstone, Bloodstone crushed it under his boot before scrapping off the shards with the knife.

"Bring in the next one." He ordered the two. "And make sure you start at 200 milliamps this time. If they don't talk at 400 milliamps, dismember their limbs and keep shocking them until they do."

"And if they don't?" asked the Spinel.

"Then kill them."

As he exited the torture room, Aventurine was waiting outside.

"Rose Quartz has given us orders to destroy the PETN."

"And waste three crates of high-explosives, enough to destroy half a Facet?" Bloodstone retorted. For a well-renown leader and tactician, Rose Quartz never even tried to look outside the box. She would always waste potential resources just because it could harm the planet and its inhabitants. Bloodstone never did like the humans; so small and frail yet Rose Quartz protected them.

"Have the men destroy the crates but keep the PETN." He said to his second-in-command. _If Rose Quartz thinks she could drive out the Homeworld without causing damage to the landscape of this planet, then she's dead wrong._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Thanks for 220 views. That's quite a number considering that most of it was coming from the readers. Was kinda hesitant on adding the torture scene but since it's a dark themed story, might as well just add it.**

 **Just a few scientific notes (for those who actually care about accurate facts):**

 **1.** **Pentaerythritol tetranitrate** ( **PETN** ) **is one of the most powerful explosives known. Seems fitting since TNT was used as a mining application.**

 **2\. 200 milliamps (0.2 A) is enough too kill a human if not quickly attended.**


	4. Preparations

**Chapter 3: Preparations**

Yellow Diamond's gemstone on her chest made a golden glitter against the darker shade of yellow of her coat. She sat on her white marble throne in front of her commanders and other high-ranking Gems. The Executioner, a Citrine, stood below her right in gilded bronze-colored armor, wielding his halberd which was a few feet higher than him. Yellow Diamond's Pearl stood on her left, wearing a yellow blouse with a look of grace and elegance. …That was before she opened her mouth.

"Bring out the prisoners." She announced with a shrill voice that betrayed the qualities one would expect from a Pearl.

"Wow, to think Yellow Diamond had _that_ Pearl specially made for her." Morganite commented.

Sol chuckled as he leaned beside a pillar. "I think she may need to have her inspected once this is over."

The Council Hall was a large room enough to fit five hundred Gems but only half of that number was present. Behind Yellow Diamond's throne were four stained glass panes depicting the four ruling Diamonds of the Homeworld, emitting lights of white, blue, yellow and pink.

 _A shame those glass panes were built just before Pink Diamond was executed,_ Sol thought as he stared at the stained glass pane with the image of Pink Diamond.

Then, the large doors of the hall creaked open. Captives entered the massive halls with a row of Amethysts escorting them on each side. They were like a group of colorful mummers in chains. Sol heard the guests snigger and silently jeer at them. They were asked to kneel once they were in the center of the hall, some were forced. Hundreds of eyes looked at them with disgust, shock and fear.

"All of you are charged with treason against the Homeworld and the Great Diamond Authority for aiding the traitorous Quartz Gem known as Rose Quartz in her attempts to destabilize the expansion of our great empire." The Yellow Pearl declared. "However," There was a brief moment of pause in her voice before she continued. "Our benevolent Diamonds will give all of you a second chance of redemption."

There was a slight commotion among the guests before an echoing tap from the Executioner's halberd silenced it.

"The Great Diamond Authority will offer an Octahedral Pardon for those who swear loyalty to the Diamonds and the Homeworld. All your past crimes will be erased and forgiven, including your previous acts of rebellion. Those who wish to be pardoned, rise."

Yet none rose until one Gem did; a Variscite, limping on one leg. As an Amethyst tried to bring her forward, she shoved the guard away and grabbed his weapon, charging at Yellow Diamond while shouting, "Death to the Diamonds!"

 _So the limp leg was a ruse._ Sol observed as the guards tailed her from behind. _Clever green bastard._

But the Variscite's attempt ended in futile when the Executioner dashed forward, knocking her to the polished tiled ground. As she tried to get up, a great cleaving blade descended down on her, slicing her in half. The Executioner raised his halberd and stomped the gemstone with his steel plated boot, crushing it into fine green dust.

 _But not clever enough,_

"What a pitiful attempt," Yellow Diamond looked down at the small spot of green dust before glancing at the other captives. "I give you rebels a second chance and _this_ Gem here spat at it. If you _truly_ wish to accept my pardon, then step forward. Otherwise, I'll just have my Executioner crush your gemstones here and now."

Only a few Gems stood up like a sore thumb from the group. They were considered the lucky ones to accept the Diamonds' offer. The rebels called them, _Cowards_ and _Diamond-begging clods,_ when they stepped forward, only to be retaliated with a back hand or a kick from the guards.

"Rose Quartz will come. And she will bring this place down along with you all!" One of them shouted as the guards dragged them to the Chamber of Maws, which was the fancier name for the Grinding Block.

After the former rebels had sworn their loyalty and were given their pardons. The guests were told to leave. The Council Hall soon went quiet except for the chatter of Yellow Diamond's commanders discussing about the rebellion.

Sol took his seat beside Thunderfist, who was unsurprised of his attendance. Morgan had to wait outside the hall after he was told that he was 'not of importance'. Sol felt like he fitted in with Yellow Diamond's council in terms of color. He wore a flowing orange robe with white diamond patterns. The high-ranking members of the council consisted of him, a Jasper, a Rubelite and a Citrine forming a 'ring of fire' inside a larger ring where the other members sat. Yellow Diamond had permitted them the use of names to avoid confusion among her court.

"Their attacks are getting bolder every week." One of the high-ranking members began. He was a Rubellite colonel called Rubicon. "For every Injector the workers place, I lose six Gems."

"Gems can regenerate." General Janae plainly stated. The Jasper was wearing her pale orange battledress with a thick black cloak around her broad shoulders.

"But by the time they're fully regenerated, we will already lose a facet or two. My scouts say that they're using underground cave systems to move undetected."

"Hiding like the cowards they are." Thunderfist grunted. "Might as well just bury them in their precious planet."

The other members snickered. "That's not a bad idea at all, Thunderfist," said Rubicon.

 _I'm surrounded by Pyrites making empty talks,_ Sol thought as he lowered his head and shook. He had been staying in Firebase Sard for three weeks now, having only Morganite as company and strolls around the base's perimeter to pass his time. The blazing fire that burned inside him had been left in embers once he boarded that Pyroxene gunship. He was now a glorified emissary kept behind layers of walls, fences and turrets, unable to leave due to his status.

"Forgive me to interrupt your talks, generals." Sol finally intervened, "But may I ask what happened to the pilots that were supposed to disperse the Diamonds' offer to the rebel-occupied areas?"

Sudden silence and gloom emerged from the faces of the council members. Sol seemed to have asked the question at a very bad moment.

"We've received this transmission just a few hours ago," Rubicon mournfully said as he tapped on a button on the screen of his tablet.

 _"Mayday! Mayday! This is Zenith 2-4. We've been hit! I repeat, we've been hit. Rebels… shot us down! Gargh!"_ There was a loud static noise before it cut back to the sound of crackling fire and faint footsteps followed by heavy breathing. " _Request… help… at Facet… 5…"_ The coarse whisper sounded like the pilot was badly wounded and in peril. " _Rebels… they're armed… and… numerous. Oh stars! They've found me. I repeat, request help. REQUEST HELP!"_ Rubicon then ended the transmission just as shouting could be heard.

"We need to save them," Sol declared after recovering from the shock of hearing the transmission.

"Negative," General Janae asserted. "They're only two Gems and Facet 5 has a strong concentration of rebels in the area. And besides, they're already dead."

"They have served their purpose and died honorably in the line of duty." Yellow Diamond announced herself after watching her council squabble like over-cooked Gems. She cared less for the loss of two Gem pilots but she was known to commemorate her Gems' achievements. "Inform their commanding officer and have her fill in the empty slots with the reserves. As for their ship…" Yellow Diamond brought her screen forward and expanded it, showing the location of all Homeworld-controlled Facets and military units. "Citrine F-8G5K, how long will it take for your soldiers to enter Facet 5 and destroy that ship?"

"One week minimal without any interference, my Diamond." Thunderfist – who the question was directed to – replied. "But with all due respect, if I move out my Gems, we'll leave an opening in our defences for the rebels to attack."

"True," Yellow Diamond sighed at how occupied her commanders were.

"Could I give a suggestion, Your Grace?" Sol raised his hand.

"I don't see why not. You were after all sent here to give suggestions on behalf of my Diamond sister."

"We could send Morganite to do the task."

Yellow Diamond raised an eyebrow. " _Which_ Morganite?"

"The mercenary one,"

It didn't take long for her to know who the Sunstone was talking about. "Very well, I approve."

Her approval was met by gasps and shock from her council.

"My Diamond, you can't be serious." General Janae argued. "That Morganite is a mercenary and a former commander of Pink Diamond like Rose Quartz."

"I'm with Rubicon on this one, my Diamond." Rubicon followed. "What if the mercenary turns himself to the rebels and reveals our whereabouts?"

Yellow Diamond raised a hand for silence. "I will not have my decisions be argued on. We have our hands full with our current tasks. Any more will put a strain in our progress. Rose Quartz is too poor to buy the Morganite to her side and I highly doubt her honeyed words would help. However, I will not let him go alone."

 _Now's my chance to finally get back into the action._ "Perhaps I could accompany him on the mission."

Sol saw everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. If he had one more surprise up in his sleeves, the Gems would've already fainted.

"This is outrageous," General Janae fumed. "You're an emissary."

"And a Feldspar," Sol added. "I'm supposed to be on the field, just like _you_."

"The Sunstone has a point." Yellow Diamond admitted. "Keeping a Feldspar here is like keeping a valuable asset from being used against the enemy." She pressed a button on her screen and transferred the information into Sol's tablet. "You will go to Facet 5 with the Morganite and destroy the ship. Should you find the pilots or their gemstones, bring them back if you must. But if the mission takes a downside, abort the mission and request extraction. I will not have an important Gem like you be captured or destroyed. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Your Grace." He made a diamond gesture with both his arms before bowing.

"And make sure you pay a visit to the Research & Development Department. I don't want one of White Diamond's favorites to be ill-equipped."

* * *

Morganite was waiting for him outside by the fountain. "So you finally grown tired to listening to the hard hat council members bickering?" He said.

Instead of a witty reply, Sol gave him his tablet. He saw him grinning his white teeth of his as he scrolled down the pages.

"This much for a simple Search-and-Destroy mission? Yellow Diamond must be very generous today."

 _Indeed she is._ "I need to pay a visit to the R&D Department before we head out."

"Yeah, su—wait, did you just say _we_?"

"I'll explain on the way."

The Research & Development Department was a domed building that was a few kilometres away from Firebase Sard. The only way in or out of the building was through the base's warp pad as the whole building was built on top of a steep cliff.

When they teleported outside the building, a gale of red dust blew across them, staining Sol's robes with speckles of dust. The walls of the domed building were green with a shimmer of yellow that glinted of the surface when sunlight touched it. The dome itself was steel grey with webs of thin steel beams supporting the roof. Jaspers patrolled the perimeter along with small floating orbs that acted as sentries.

Two Jaspers guarding the door straightened themselves upon seeing Sol's white diamond emblem and let him and his companion go through.

The soldiers around Firebase Sard liked to call the R&D Department, the 'Toy Shop' and he could see why. A small Peridot riding a hoverboard flew pass them, towing a red metal ball. On their right, behind glass panes, soldiers were testing out prototype weapons and armors on holograms.

"I think I should retire here once I'm done with all this mercenary work." Morgan commented as they walked through the wide structure.

"Sitting around inside a dome and shoot weapons at holograms?" Sol quipped. "Now where's the fun in that?"

Diopside was writing down her notes on her tablet as two Jaspers tried to gemhandle a Corrupted Gem into a cage. Standing around two-thirds of the height of the Jaspers, her white lab coat covered her green shirt and darker toned trousers. She eyed on the two visitors through her glasses before realizing who they were.

"You must be the Sunstone." She announced herself. "Yellow Diamond had informed me of your arrival."

"Well no need for introductions then I guess. Shall we get straight to business then?"

"Of course, let me just—" Before she could finish, the Corrupted Gem shrieked as it clawed the floor, frantically trying to escape the Jaspers' hold on it. "Could somebody take care of that Gem?" Diopside raised her voice, irritated at the interruption. One of the Jaspers threw a punch at its ribs to knock the beast out. "Thank you,"

"Where did you find that beastie?" Morgan asked as the Jaspers hauled it into the cage and locked it behind a field of electricity.

"The soldiers found it wandering outside the base. Its physical form seemed to suggest that the Gem has taken in the behaviors and characteristics of the planet's wildlife. It's quite… _interesting_ to see a Corrupted Gem adapt to the environment very quickly."

"Best you stop admiring it so much before it kills you." Morgan advised. "Be glad that two Jaspers and an electric barrier are the only things that are stopping that beastie from pouncing on you and tearing apart that lovely physical form of yours."

Diopside was startled and flattered at the same. "Well… uh, let's not waste any time then."

She led the two to the armory where most of their prototype weapons and armors were stored. Locked behind 12 inch thick walls and a 15 inch stainless steel circular door, she typed a code on the holographic screen and the door started revolving before retreating back and forming a small stairway.

Every wall was dotted with all kinds of strange weaponry, some more absurd-looking than others. Diopside pulled out a rifle of sorts from a display case and gave it to Sol. The rifle felt light in his hands. It had a sleek and minimalistic design with the barrel splitting into two rails.

"It's a blaster." Sol plainly put it.

"Not just any blaster. It's a handheld railgun."

"Rail… gun?" Sol and Morganite exchanged confused looks before tilting their heads.

Diopside groaned before explaining the railgun's function. "A railgun is an electromagnetic projectile launcher. It fires a projectile through a pair of parallel conductors connected to an electrical power supply. When a conductive projectile is inserted between the rails, mostly at the end connected to the power supply, it completes the circuit. Electrons flow from the negative terminal of the power supply up the negative rail, across the projectile, and down the positive rail. The result would be a high velocity projectile with enough kinetic energy to pierce through a Gem's physical form or gemstone."

"So basically, it's a gun that fires a very fast bullet then?" Sol concluded.

"In a sense, yes,"

"Has it been tested on _actual_ Gems?"

"We do not approve the use of live Gem test subjects here. But the test results show that the fired projectile had managed to penetrate through three 8 inch slabs of concrete which is equivalent to the hard light density of an average Quartz soldier."

"Have it sent to my loadout."

"Very well,"

"Hey, what does this thing do?" Morgan asked as he played with a small black-and-yellow canister, tossing it left and right like a small ball.

"Don't touch that!" Diopside blurted out before snatching the object from the Beryl's hand. "This is a singularity grenade. If you so much as pull the pin, this thing will create a miniature black hole and suck anything around it before exploding."

"Sounds awesome,"

"Including _us,_ "

Upon hearing that, Morganite's cheery expression was gone. "Right, so don't pull the pin and we won't get sucked into a black hole and be blown to bits."

* * *

The Sun was sinking into the horizon as Sol leaned against the railing of balcony of the R&D Department. He had an amazing view of the arid desert valley. Patches of dead grass dotted the land while the dust from the patrolling vehicles trailed across the outskirts of the rocky region.

"Beautiful ain't it?" Morganite announced himself from behind. The sunset had turned his skin tone and clothes into a maroon colour.

"Yeah," Sol then grinned. "Too bad there's no Sand Worms."

"Oh don't get me started with those Sand Worms back on Eremus." Morgan pointed his finger at the Feldspar, knowing where this was going.

"You were on foot, being chased by five Sand Worms…"

"I was covered in pheromones for Diamond sakes!"

Sol only laughed. "And you smelled awful too. Four days it took us to get that scent off you. _Four_ days. I don't even know how those worms are even attracted to that foul stench."

"Alright, knock it off." Morgan threw a light punch at his friend's shoulder. "I swear if you keep this up, you might as well defeat the enemy with tales of my embarrassing moments."

"Maybe I would." Sol retorted with a devious smile.

The day was already dark when they returned to Firebase Sard. The halls were still alive with Gems walking around, doing their mundane tasks. Footsteps, light and heavy drummed the floors with Amethysts standing tall and strong in their posts, wearing their black cuirass and diamond-crested visor halfhelms.

The Gems made way for Sol when they saw him. The orange robed Gem and his pink companion were a spectacular sight to see. They showered him praises and flattery, hoping that their voices will be heard for White Diamond.

"I feel like one of those puffed up aristocrats in Blue Diamond's court." Sol whispered to Morganite.

"No wonder you wanted to get out of here."

Morganite parted ways with him once they reached the door of his quarters. It was small yet lavishly furnished. An orange-cushioned ball chair was placed just near the three white tinted windows which overlooks the base's red-dusted field. Most importantly, there was a bed, specially made for him.

Sol quickly jumped on his bed and let out a breath of relaxation and he sank deeper into the mattress. He didn't bother changing his clothes after all that rambling in the Council Hall and walking. He closed his eyes, whistling his mind away to some other dimension.

 _Today, I rest. For tomorrow, I go to battle._

* * *

 **Sorry if it took so long. Was busy with personal life so you know.**

 **I took a risk of using names on Gems during the council part because my story will feature a lot of similar Gems. Hopefully you guys are okay with it.**


	5. Search, Rescue & Destroy

**Chapter 4: Search, Rescue & Destroy**

Rain pelted his skin as he hid behind the bushes with Morganite, looking at the potential threat.

"I think we should kill it," said Sol.

"No we don't. That thing's harmless." Morgan's whisper was coarse but subtle.

" _Harmless_? You call _that_ horned thing harmless?"

"That _horned thing_ you're referring to is called a 'goat', Sol." Morgan explained. The small, four-legged, white furred animal was busy eating a patch of grass. Two short stubby horns protruded out above his head. The goat bleated once before it walked to another patch of grass and munched on it. "The only thing it could harm is that patch of grass. Now c'mon, the crash site is supposed to be ten klicks from here."

The two got up and headed towards the hills. Sol heard the goat bleated at him as if it was mocking him or giving him a warning. Facet 5 was known to be heavily occupied by the rebels. It was one of the first Facets to be taken by Rose Quartz due to its strategic value as a Kindergarten for Quartzes. The canyons were like death traps to any unsuspecting Homeworld Gem so they had to navigate from the top.

The rain had parted along with the gloomy clouds, letting the Sun glare down on them, hot and burning as always. They moved under the shadows of the rock formations, keeping a low profile while moving at reasonable speed to the crash site. Two Gems of pink and orange would most likely stick out like a sore thumb at this time of day.

The sky was a bright orange-blue, brushed with clouds. The grounds were part grass and part stone, often ending up with steep slopes or cliff faces. When they had to climb, Morgan pulled out a grappling hook and a long piece of rope from his backpack. His fingers gripped on any hole or features they could find, hugging the cliff face like it was his dear life at stake.

Night came and they settled inside a cave. They couldn't risk making open fire so Sol had to light a small fire with a snap of his fingers to give them some light. He played with the little fire, slowly moving it left and right, watching the flames swirl and dance as Morgan tried to contact Firebase Sard.

"Mother Diamond, Mother Diamond come in. This is Helios." Morgan continued repeating the words to his diamond-shaped communicator as static filled the screen in front of him. He tried again and again until an image started appearing.

"This is Mother Diamond, how can I assist you?" A Peridot answered. There were more of those little green Gems scuttling around in the background, delivering notes and relaying messages.

"Patch me to General Janae's office." Morgan answered.

"General-who?"

Morgan let out a frustrating sigh. "General Jasper Facet 7A5E Cut 97Y."

When the Peridot switched channels, General Janae was sitting in her chair. She turned around and frowned upon seeing who it was. "Oh, it's you…" she said with distrustful eyes staring down at him. "I trust the Sunstone is with you?"

Sol waved a hand at the general to assure her it was him after Morgan flipped the screen. General Janae never did like Yellow Diamond's idea of sending him and the Beryl mercenary down to Facet 5, but she begrudgingly had to accept it due to their hands being full.

"How far are you from the crash site?" She asked Sol.

"Four more klicks, give or take." He answered, whisking away the little flame between his fingers.

"Then why are you not moving?"

"There are patrols everywhere, General. Better to lay low than let the enemy have an early catch."

The General gave him a skeptical look before saying, "Very well. Contact me once you've successfully destroyed the ship. General Janae, signing out."

"She really believed that huh?" said Morgan after the call had ended.

"I think that was a buyable enough excuse for me to get some rest." Sol rested his head against the smoothest rock he could find, getting some shut eye. "Wake me up after two."

* * *

The two continued their trek through enemy territory under the shroud of night. The canyons have turned blue-grey when the moon cast down its gaze. Dark clouds loomed above them but darker things roam the grounds they stepped on.

Sol didn't lie when he said that patrols were everywhere. There was a bright glow of light coming from one of the ravines that cut through the land, slowly moving like a current in an endless circuit. They moved carefully, watching their steps whenever they were near the cliff edges to avoid any rocks slipping down and expose their location.

More patrols started appearing as they ventured deeper. It was a good telltale sign that they were on the right track but also an indication of how heavily occupied the Facet was. Twice they had to hide in thick tall grasses and twice they had to crawl through narrow passageways to avoid the sentries. It was a shadowy game of hide-and-seek; only the difference was the seekers were completely clueless.

They made another climb up a cliff, maintaining a steady pace as night began its end. Once they were at the top, Morgan used the binoculars he brought and surveyed the area north of them.

"Bingo." He said, cracking a smile before handing the binoculars over to Sol.

Sol took a look and saw the vague outlines of the wreckage, burnt and scattered at the distance. He spotted two Gems walking around the perimeter. But because it was night, he couldn't tell if it was just them guarding it.

"Two Rubies guarding the crash site; shouldn't be a problem for us. No sign of the pilots though,"

"They could be dead,"

He had goosebumps when Morgan said the same words General Janae told him a few days ago. "No, they're _not_."

He took the lead, descending down the cliff and heading for the guarded crash site, Morgan gaining behind him. He was not one who would simply abandon the lives of any Gem, regardless of their rank in the Gem hierarchy.

"Hey, wait up!" Morgan let out a coarse whisper. His boots were covered in dust and dirt as he carefully slid down the rocky slope of the hill.

Sol was itching to test out the railgun Diopside had given him as he crouched under the tall grass line, stalking one of the guards with Morgan beside him. The lone Ruby was shorter than him. Cube-shaped hair and a red single-striped tanktop were the trademarks of the grunts, but the rebels were known to remove any markings of their former services to the Homeworld.

He readied the yard long rifle that was slung on his back (which was surprisingly, in perfect condition despite all the obstacles it had to go through.) and pulled out a small needle-like round that was the length of his index finger from his belt.

The weapon was break-action which meant the round had to be inserted through a breech and closed using a latch. Once closed, it would take a second for the power supply to flow its current through the two parallel rails that would accelerate the fired projectile.

He aimed the sights just above the Ruby's chest, moving it a bit to the right so that the shot would hit the rebel just as she moved into the crosshairs. His trigger finger was slightly squeezing the trigger, eyes still locked on the target but before he could fire, Morgan's hand suddenly lowered the barrel of the rifle and pointed at the shadow of another Ruby coming from behind a large piece of scrap.

Now with two of them, the odds of taking them down without alerting the rebels had drastically improved. The two Rubies stopped by each other and had a chat. It was that moment the opportunity had risen.

"I'll take care of the left one, you take out the other." Morgan whispered before creeping back into the tall grass.

Sol took his aim again, this time aiming at the newly-arrived Ruby. Her gemstone was on her left shoulder which was dark red and glimmer within his crosshair. He waited until Morgan was in position and fired the railgun.

The projectile pierced through the Ruby's physical form, sending her reeling back before she reverted back into her gemstone. Surprised, the other Ruby glanced at the direction where the shot was fired from only to be met by two pink blades that plowed into her shoulder joints. Morgan kicked the Ruby, wrenching his two hatchets free as the rebel yelped before poofing.

"That takes care of that." Morgan declared as he bubbled the Rubies' gemstones.

They wasted no time planting detpacks on the larger pieces of debris, destroying any useful resources the rebels could scavenge. As he was placing the last detpack, Sol noticed drag marks on the ground and saw it leading to the woods.

"Hey, I finished with my side. What about you?" Morgan called out before seeing Sol looking at the tree lines. "You found something, Sol?" He asked.

"Yeah, follow me."

* * *

A Jasper guarded the mouth of the cave. Clad in red armor and markings, it was unusual to see a rebel wearing decent armor.

"What do you think?" Sol whispered to his partner.

"Rebel hideout or possibly an outpost," Morgan replied. "Should we report this to Janae?"

"No time."

The two directed their sights on the two Gems that emerged from the foliage. They were also clad in red armor and were dragging a crate before dropping it in front of the Jasper.

"Found more of those autocannon rounds." One of the Gems said to the Jasper.

"Good," the Jasper smiled. "Put it with the rest of them."

 _Rest? There's more of them?_

As the first Gem pulled the crate into the cave, the other Gem had a little chat with the Jasper.

"So, how goes the interrogation?" She asked.

"The Omphacite keeps squirming. They already took care of the other one. Stabbed an acid-laden metal stake on her gemstone just when she thought we were going to set her free." The Jasper laughed. "Homeworlders. I tell you, they're so gullible to believe us."

Sol felt disgusted as he overheard their conversation. _How could these rebels claim themselves to be protectors of this planet if they torture their own kind?_ Once the Jasper was left alone again, the two quickly formulated a plan.

"Alright," Morgan began, drawing three images on the dirt ground. "We got three Gems and goodness knows how many more are there inside that cave, an ammo cache that needs to be blown up and an Omphacite that needs to be rescued. So, pick your poison."

"I'll go for the Omphacite."

"Figures, you never were one to leave a life." Morgan crossed the image of a gemstone which represented the captured pilot. "Right, so I'll take care of the ammo cache. Now we just need to find a way to take care of that Jasper."

"Leave that to me." Sol grinned before loading a new round into his railgun. Before he could fire, Morgan once again placed a hand on top of the barrel and lowered it.

"How about we try a different approach instead of using that gun of yours?"

Sol gave him a smug look. "Aw, you're just jealous because you didn't get a new toy."

Morgan wasn't swayed by his partner's notion. "Ah no, I'm not jealous. I was just thinking we should try something… explosive." He raised his left hand, revealing the detonator for the detpacks. His thumb was itching to press the red button.

They were a few miles away from the crash site and the number of detpacks they placed was enough to create an explosion loud enough to attract anyone in a 10-mile radius. Sol took a moment to think about the outcome of this plan. _We'll have a 20 minute head start to get in and out of the cave without raising any alarms. Most of the rebels will be at the crash site and leaving only a few guards to deal with…_ After a few minutes of mental planning, Sol decided to green-lit Morgan's approach.

With a press of a button, a roaring explosion was heard behind them, coupled with flames that could be seen from the pale blue night sky. The Jasper left her post to investigate along with three Rubies and two Quartzes that emerged from the cave. Once their figures had melded into the forest, Sol and Morgan sprang up and headed inside the cave.

Sol lit a fire when the cave got darker. It felt so empty now that most of the rebels had rushed to the crash site.

"Remember, we got 20 minutes before they come back." He reminded. "We'll split up to cover more ground."

Suddenly, they heard a faint scream coming from a tunnel left of them. Sol quickly went to the source of the scream while Morgan went searching for the ammo caches. He listened closely to the screams whenever he encountered an intersection. It was a very disturbing thing to do; listening to the sound of a Gem being tortured, hoping it would guide his way. It twisted his insides just at the thought of it.

Sol stopped dead on his tracks when he walked pass a door. A sense of dread emitted from inside of it. He was hesitant to open the door, but when he did, he recoiled at the sight and nearly let out a gasp.

A dark green gemstone was impaled against a metal wall. Sol moved closer, noticing fragments of different coloured gem shards scattered throughout the floor. He crouched down and examined the metal stake that impaled the gemstone. It was dripping some kind of liquid which hissed when it touched the floor. Sol immediately recalled what that Jasper had said earlier.

" _They already took care of the other one. Stabbed an acid-laden metal stake on her gemstone just when she thought we were going to set her free._ _Homeworlders. I tell you, they're so gullible to believe us._ "

He pulled the metal stake, letting the gemstone dropped to the ground before it shattered by itself. The Gem was obviously tortured to near-death and this 'act of mercy' from the rebels was the finale. _How could the rebels do such a thing? To their own kind?_ Sol sadly thought before he heard heavy footsteps coming from outside. He quickly hid behind a nearby desk as the footsteps got louder. It sounded like two Gems were walking together.

"You know about that Pearl Rose Quartz has?" A female voice spoke out.

"Yeah, what about her?" Another one replied. It was female like the first one, but only a bit gruff.

"She got poofed by Ruby. A _single_ Ruby, not a fused one."

The two laughed before the second voice said, "Rose Quartz must've lost her mind appointing that weak Gem as her second-in-command. I would rather have a low-ranking Gem than some house item as a—wait." The two stopped dead on their tracks before the second voice continued. "Wasn't that door closed just a few hours ago?"

Sol silently cursed himself for not closing the door. But how could he if he was too shocked at what he saw when he first entered. He heard the two Gems summoning their weapons as their footsteps turned into hush creaks. A broad shadow started appearing from the doorway, extending itself like long, black fat fingers.

He had only two options; wait till the rebels leave the room (which was unlikely because he had removed the impaled gemstone.) or attack both of them before they could sound any alarm. Knowing the latter was the only choice, Sol gripped the metal stake that still had a thin coat of acid on the pointed end and waited until one of the Gems got close.

And one did, a green-colored Quartz; a Prasiolite, big and brutish with short, wild hair. Her gemstone was embedded on a strap which was slung across her left shoulder. On her right hand was a studded club.

"Someone's been here." She said. "We need to warn—"

Before she could finished, Sol lunged at her, surprising the rebel Quartz as her green eyes stare at the acid-laden tip of the metal stake plunging itself into her gemstone. She cried out in pain as the acid seeped into the cracks, creating a sizzling sound before she started deteriorating.

Sol tried to summon his dagger to follow-up his attack on the other rebel but was too slow. He received a gauntleted punch to the face, knocking him down to the ground. He quickly got up, bobbing left and right as he tried to regain his senses. Images of a brown Gem started playing in his head until they all combined into one single image.

"You'll pay for that, filthy clod!" The brown Gem growled before throwing another punch.

Sol managed to dodge the attack and grabbed her arm, twisting it before slamming down an elbow. The brown Gem gritted her teeth as her arm started to break. She then felt a searing hot blade touching her throat, just below the apple as she was held down on her knees.

"Where's the Omphacite?" Sol asked. He had one hand holding the rebel's right arm while another held the dagger near her throat.

"Sha.. shattered," the rebel snickered.

The Sunstone moved the blade away from the Gem's throat and placed a foot on her back before pushing it down. A loud crack erupted from the joint of her right arm. He placed a hand on her mouth just as she was about to scream.

"If you care about your arm, you better cooperate. Are we clear?"

The brown Gem gave a weary nod and Sol removed his foot from her back and placed his dagger back near her throat.

"Where's the Omphacite?" He asked again, maintaining a calm yet cold demeanor.

"Cell Block… 34E1. Just down the tunnel. There's two Amethysts guarding the door and the torturers inside; a Citrine and a Carnelian. That's all I know, I swear."

"Good." He removed the blade away from her throat. The Gem got a second to catch her breath before Sol clubbed the Gem unconscious. He glanced at an interesting looking brooch that was pinned on her shoulder, picked it up and examined it.

 _Strange,_ Sol thought. _It looks a bit primitive to be used as a military decoration._ The edges had weird symbols etched around it. The front featured an image of a winged creature. Sol didn't ponder too long on the brooch. Instead, he shoved it into his pocket and refocused his mind on his current task, saving the Omphacite.

* * *

Morganite was steadfast on his feet, sticking to the shadows and hiding behind cover as he stealthily made his way to the cave's ammo depot.

Thanks to a map he had 'acquired' from a lone rebel, he was able to find out where they hid the cache. The tunnels bend and turn with the occasional rumbling of generators that kept the lanterns lit. It felt like he was in some kind of monster's belly.

He stumbled upon a large part of the cave. Small cubicle lanterns lit the area in white fluorescence. Limestone covered the walls, ceiling and floors while stalactites and stalagmites formed jagged teeth that dripped of water. Morgan couldn't help but marvel at the beauty. He had been to many planets but Earth was one for the e-books. The sound of chatter soon forced him to cut his reverie short and seek cover.

He took a peek above a limestone formation and saw two Rubies appear from around the corner. They seemed to be having a conversation.

"It's boring in here." The first Ruby told the other. "Why can't we just go outside and investigate that loud explosion with the others?"

"Because Agate told us to guard the cache," the other Ruby replied. "But yeah, it's boring in here. I wish there was some action nearby."

"How's this for action!?" Morgan called out as he leaped into the air, bringing his two hatchets down on the surprised Rubies. He silently rolled away as the two clouds of smoke quickly dissipate from behind him.

The depot was just in front of him. Dozens of crates grouped together in one small corner, surrounded by limestone rocks and covered in a thin sheet of black fabric. A beam of light from a hole on the ceiling revealed the four-diamond emblem of the Great Diamond Authority on one of the crates.

Morgan moved closer towards the depot. Time was of the essence. It may take a few days for the two Rubies to recover from their wounds, but it was the rebels outside the cave he was concerned off. He had already spent around 15 minutes just to find this place.

 _Hope Sol had found that pilot by now._ He thought before his eyes glanced at a few opened crates.

What he saw was surprising. Anti-air rockets, autocannon rounds, anti-personnel mines, military-grade explosives… all of them were looted from captured Homeworld convoys or through raids at their storage facilities. But only a few of them are missing while the rest are all here, which raises the question…

 _If Rose Quartz has this much equipment, why isn't she using it?_ Before he could work out an answer, Morgan felt a cold hand grabbing his shoulder before he was pulled away from the crates and thrown into a wall of stalagmites.

The stalagmites broke his landing. Morgan quickly got up, summoning his weapons again before a large Gem emerged from the broken wall of stalagmites.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the two-bit pink merc working for the Diamonds." The Gem said. "Finally I get a chance to face you in single combat." He was a Quartz, brown-skinned with earthen-banded patterns around his arms and legs. He wore a retrofitted version of the standard Quartz soldier uniform, obviously as a mockery to his former life.

"I see I've gained a fanbase in Rose's army." Morgan wittingly replied, keeping his hatchets at the ready. "But I don't ever recall meeting you before."

"You may know me as a regular Agate soldier, but this…" He tapped his finger on the pauldron that was strapped across his left shoulder. "This will tell you who I am."

Morgan shifted an eye at the pauldron. The color was faded, but it looked similar, like he had seen it before. Upon realization, he gave Agate a knowing frown. "So, you were one of Pink Diamond's soldiers, just like me."

"No," The Quartz spat. "Unlike you, I remain loyal to My Diamond by following Rose Quartz's belief." He charged forwards, summoning a warhammer from the palm of his hand. "Now die, traitor!"

Morgan rolled to the left, avoiding the warhammer's slam as water splashed around them.

"Well that's pretty ironic, considering the fact that _you_ are a _rebel_ who _rebels_ against your rulers, thus making _you_ a _traitor_."

"I'm. A. Free Gem!" The Agate made a heavy left swing that missed Morgan and destroyed a limestone pillar.

"Yeah? Well so am I!" Morgan retorted before he went on the offensive.

* * *

The cell block door burst open as the body of an Amethyst went flying into a wall. Sol entered with his revolver primed and ready. He had taken care of the other Amethyst with a simple well placed shot in the gemstone.

"Hand over the Omphacite!" Sol demanded.

The torturers gave him a hostile look, but his eyes were more focused on the Omphacite's condition. She had cuts on her body; her pilot suit tattered and ripped.

"Help me." She muttered.

He caught one of the torturers, a Citrine, rushing at him with an electro-rod. He fired a shot at the Quartz's chest, making him plummet to the ground before poofing. The other torturer, a Carnelian, made a quick swipe with his summoned dagger. Sol countered it with his own then pistol-whipping his head to knock him back.

The Carnelian's fighting style fit his role as a torturer; fast, vicious and relentless. Sol parried most of his attacks, earning a few cuts on his arms in return. He was too close to use his revolver so he had to use the environment; throw a tray filled with torture tools to disorient his movement, a jar of hot water to blur his vision, anything that could be used to slow down his savage attacks.

Sol ducked down when he made a wide slash and stabbed him in the leg. The Carnelian hissed in pain before Sol kicked him down and shot him three times with his revolver; two in the chest and one in the gemstone that was on his right thigh.

"Damn…" Sol panted. "That guy… was good."

He walked towards where the Omphacite was being chained. Pain surged through where he was cut and he could feel his shoulders and legs aching after all that dodging and evading.

"Don't worry. I'm with Homeworld. I'll get you out of here in a second." Sol tried to form some kind of communication with the severely wounded pilot, making sure her gemstone wasn't cracked. To his surprise, her gemstone was left untouched, the only polished surface on her bruised and scratch skin. His fingers quickly worked through the locks of her shackles. The rattling _clang_ of chains hitting the floor signalled his success.

The Omphacite slumped down but Sol managed to grab hold of her.

"It's okay." He assured to her. "You're safe now."

"Thank you." She whispered to his ear before she started glowing.

Sol felt the weight of her body against his shoulder lighten as she turned into light, returning to her gemstone to recover. He picked up the Omphacite's gemstone and put it in his pocket vest. His objective was complete, now it was Morgan's turn to finish his.

Just as he exited the cell block, he saw the figure of a familiar looking Gem. The Gem came closer and it was revealed to be Morganite.

"You look… well." Sol commented on his partner's appearance. His clothes were wet and there were a few bruises on his face.

"Same goes for you."

"Did you find the cache?" He asked.

"Yup." Morgan replied. "But you're not going to like what comes next."

They ran towards the mouth of the cave where the shimmer of pre-dawn light greeted them before the silhouettes of Gems blocked their exit.

"Intruders!" Shouted one of them before they charged inside, weapons raised high above their heads.

"This way, there's another path." Morgan called out.

Sol sprayed a gout of fire onto the ground, creating a near impassable wall of flames. He started to regret that action as the black smoke that enveloped started to blur his vision, making him cough. His right hand clutched onto his pocket vest where the Omphacite's gemstone was kept.

Morgan led him to where the ammo cache was kept. It looked like a battle had taken place. The walls and floors had traces of cracks. Several of the limestone rock formations around the area were destroyed, smashed apparently. Their debris lay across the shallow puddles that dotted the floors.

"Quite a ruckus you caused in here." Sol commented.

"Well I had the help of _that_ guy over there." Morgan pointed at the shattered brown gemstone near a pile of debris. Sol didn't even need to ask how that even happened.

He glanced at one of the detpacks that was placed around the crates and support pillars and saw it was set to five minutes… and it was counting down.

"You set it to five minutes!?" Sol exclaimed. "How are we going to get out of here in five minutes?"

Morgan only shushed the Feldspar as he leaned against a doorway. Footsteps were heard coming from the other side. He readied his hatchet as he waited for the enemy. Sol took cover behind a crate, aiming his revolver at the narrow doorway.

Two Gems emerged, a Yellow Tourmaline and a Red Beryl. They walked into the area, unaware of the trap that was set up until the Beryl caught a glance of the barrel of Sol's gun pointed towards her before it glowed orange-red, releasing a solar-infused shot that grazed her right shoulder.

The Tourmaline jumped after seeing her comrade knelt on the ground, clutching her wounded shoulder. Then, she heard a voice.

"Head's up!" Morgan crossed the blades of his hatchets together, severing the Gem's head before she poofed. "Or should I say, 'Head's off'?" He chuckled at his own joke before moving on to the wounded Beryl.

Before he could attack, Sol knocked the Beryl unconscious with a kick to the head, saving him the trouble.

"Eh, she was going to die anyways." Morgan shrugged as he crossed his arms.

"But not by _us_."

They heard shouting coming from the other end. The rebels were closing in on them. Morgan grabbed his partner's shoulder and pushed him forwards into the doorway. He pointed at the light on the other end, telling them that they were going to make it. The shouting behind them became a faint whisper, it was a matter of time before the rebels realize they were at the center of what would be a massive explosion.

Sol reached for the light, feeling the Sun's warmth as it touched his hand. His eyes were blinded by the brightness but he kept running forwards until he found himself outside the cave. A lush green valley greeted his eyes but it was short lived when a hand patted the back of his head.

"What are you doing? We got a few seconds left before the cave explodes." Morgan jumped down a ledge and ran for the forest. Sol followed behind.

They waited until they heard a thundering _boom_ that shook the ground they stood on. The trees shook, sending the birds that sat on their branches flying out of fear. Even the surrounding hills seem to tremble at the sound of explosives going off like a monster's roar. If he had a dime, he would've bet the explosion could be heard from all the way back to Firebase Sard.

"Well, mission complete I guess." Morgan said before he stood up. "Now let's get to the exfil."

The Sun crept up the horizon as Morgan called in for extraction above a high open ground. Sol looked down at the vast forest; beautiful and deadly at the same time. He moved his hand to his pocket vest and reached out for the Omphacite's gemstone. The rising sunlight had coated the dark green surface in orange. He then reached out for his other pocket and pulled out the mysterious brooch he had found on the brown Gem. It was the strange symbols and image that intrigued him the most.

The dropship came; its rotor blades swept the dust below. It was a transport variant of a Pyroxene gunship. They boarded it and left Facet 5, heading back to Firebase Sard. At the distance, Sol saw smoke coming out from where they were. They've left a great impression on the rebels, it was a matter of time before they realize how futile their cause would be. And time was something Gems are accustomed to.


	6. Chasing Leads

**Chapter 5: Chasing Leads**

 **3734 B.C.E.**

 **36 years after Homeworld Occupation of Earth (A.H.O.)**

Morganite was humming tunelessly as he walked across the vast halls of Firebase Sard. He had a rugged look on him that made him resemble more of a mercenary than a Homeworld soldier. He wore a maroon coat over a lilac sleeveless shirt and dark trousers. Strapped across his left shoulder was a black bandolier that had pouches which carried knives and trinkets he had found around the planet.

His light pink skin had made the Quartz guards gave him suspicious stares, likely because he reminded them of the rebel leader. Morgan ignored the stares for years now until they disappeared from his mind. They had every right to stare at him. He was one of Pink Diamond's commanders during her reign and was a colleague of Rose Quartz, but he didn't share the same rebellious ambition as the Quartz did. He only wanted to prove to the remaining Diamonds that not all of Pink Diamond's subordinates are traitors like Rose Quartz.

He spotted the Bounty Station just near the base's hangar. It was managed by a Bixbite, a Beryl-type Gem just like him. The Bixbite saw Morgan coming as she leaned against the counter and was surprised to see him back in just a few days.

"Judging by that smirk on your face, I'm guessing you've completed the bounty." She said in a friendly tone.

"You've got that right, Bix." Morgan preferred to call Bixbites as 'Bix' even though this one was not the same Bixbite that was stationed at the Quartermaster's Warehouse near the Galaxy Warp Pad.

Call it a Beryl's thing but Morgan could tell a Bixbite from another Bixbite even if they are nearly identical. He pulled out a small token from his pocket and tossed it at the Bixbite.

The token landed on Bixbite's open palms. It was octagon-shaped and was grey with yellow outlines on the edges. A symbol of a crosshair was stamped onto it. The red Beryl leaned closer, narrowing an eye to verify its authenticity.

Bixbite let out a few _Hmms_ and _Ahs_ as she meticulously inspected the token, looking for any flaws or signs of forgery. Morgan was annoyed at this, tapping his right foot to a beating rhythm as he impatiently waited for his reward.

"For star's sakes, that thing's real, Bix!" He blurted out. "General Rubicon gave it to me after I gave him the rebel's gemstone. Talk to him if you don't believe me."

"It's not that I don't believe you, Morganite," the red Beryl revealed after she had finished inspecting the token. "It's just I didn't expect you to capture a rank 3 High Valued Gem in just a week."

"Well, I found him hiding near a mountain pass at Facet 27 with two more Gems. He was a feisty one to capture, kept running down the pass until he tripped on a pebble and tumbled down. Surprised his gemstone wasn't cracked by the fall."

Bixbite chuckled when she heard his story. She inserted the token into a machine and a card popped up from above. "Anyways, here you go, 8 000 credits in total."

Morgan briskly took the card from her hand and made a quick 'thank you' bow as he backed up before turning away and left. He looked at the card and let out a heavy sigh. He was gaining more credits than an average soldier's wage would, which made him feel sorry for the other Gems who used to be under Pink Diamond's rule.

After Pink Diamond's execution, her followers and colonies were reorganized and equally distributed to the other Diamonds. The event was called, 'The Reorganization'. During that time, the Gems under Pink Diamond's rule had their properties temporarily taken away from them and they had their accounts frozen and transferred. They were even denied entry into their own homes as The Reorganization went on for three Elysian years (in other colonies, it went on for decades).

Since Morganite went off the grid shortly after his Diamond's execution, the Authority had terminated most of his assets. His house was probably auctioned off to some other high-ranking Gem while his bank account was terminated, the funds would most likely be transferred to the Diamantaire Treasury. He was a vagrant now, selling his skills to the same Gems that made him who he was but he was fine with it because of one thing. They paid him well.

Morgan approached the door to Sunstone's chamber, his friend-turned-emissary of White Diamond. He made three light taps on the orange metal surface of the door.

"Who's there?" A muffled voice spoke from inside.

"White Diamond." Morgan jested.

The door opened like metal jaws as it hissed, revealing Sol who was dressed in his usual emissary robes. His fiery eyes were heavy with fatigue.

"You know you shouldn't joke about the Diamonds in here." Sol reminded him in a bored tone. He had time to joke around with his friend but he also knew when to tone it down, especially in a place like this. He invited the Beryl in before closing the door.

"I see you've been busy for the past few weeks." Morgan commented as he saw how unorganized his room was.

"You. Have. No. Idea," The Feldspar slumped down on his ball chair, letting out a breath of exhaustion. "White Diamond wanted me to do a full report on the Homeworld's current strength and progress on this planet." He motioned his hand to the stacks of files on and around his desk. "And _that_ over there is the full report. Four weeks it took me to finish it. FOUR weeks." He counted his fingers to four to make it clearer.

Morgan was surprised to not have seen the towering stacks of files that crowded Sol's desk when he entered. In fact, he didn't even notice the desk because the files were piled up until they formed jagged white dividers that seemingly blended with the walls. He turned towards the white-tinted windows and looked outside. A group of Rubies were doing laps around the red-dusted field while a couple of Quartzes were boasting who could lift the heaviest near the storage yard.

"Blue Diamond is bringing in a couple of ambassadors from Homeworld to here." Sol informed him once he was in a relaxed state.

"Ambassadors? So they finally decided to try the more diplomatic approach, huh?"

Sol nodded. "It was White Diamond's idea but Blue Diamond has a more…'valuable' asset at her disposal. So, the task was handed to her."

"Define by 'valuable'." Morgan only knew two things about Blue Diamond's court. One was that they were full of proud, pompous aristocrats he'd like to call 'Polished Gems' or 'Poshes' for short. And two was that some of them possess mystical powers.

"Blue Diamond has sent a Sapphire to be part of the diplomatic team to Earth."

 _That_ surprised him. "Now that's quite valuable indeed. I'm guessing you're also called to attend for their arrival?"

"I would if I didn't cancel it."

"You could do that?"

"Well, I did say I was busy doing White Diamond's assignment. Plus, I needed to do something."

"Like what?"

Sol pulled out a brooch from the sleeves of his robes and showed it to Morganite. "What do you make of this?" He asked. "I've tried asking Yellow Diamond's commanders and even the Homeworld's Archivists and still no answers."

"You spent fourteen years just to find answers for that brooch?"

"You don't have that much free time if you're an emissary."

Morgan took the brooch and made a closer inspection. Pink fingers gently hover over the etched symbols. He then let out a half-supressed laugh after he was done.

"What's so funny?" Sol asked.

"I think I might know someone who can give you an answer." Morgan tossed the brooch back to Sol. "What do you say we go on a road trip?"

The two went to the firebase's hangar that was buzzing with activity. Engineers and mechanics were doing repairs and maintenance work on the docked ships. Three Pyroxene gunships were being refuelled and rearmed, preparing to launch another air raid on a suspected rebel hideout.

Out in the corner, at the docking station where dozens of ships lay dormant was his pride and joy, The _Nomad_ , a Vestian-class starship which was the only thing he had managed to keep after 'The Reorganization'.

The front was elongated all the way until the mid-section where it widened, making room for the ionic engines and two photonic drives on each wing. It was all topped off with tactical grey body paint and yellow lines. A diamond emblem on the ship's nose and wings was stamped to help identify it as a Homeworld aircraft. Even though the rebels weren't reported to have any air support, it never hurts to be careful.

The _Nomad_ 's door folded open. Inside was as sleek as the outside. The living quarters had a round holographic table with a semi-circular couch around it. A board filled with wanted posters was hung just above a counter. Most of them were crossed out, implying that the bounty had been completed. Morgan's quarter was a small square room with a desk and a bed.

Morgan took his seat at the cockpit and started to activate the systems. Toggles were clicked and buttons were pressed as the whole cockpit came alive with lights and sounds. The ship's thrusters started to rumble. He turned on the communications and tried to contact the base's air traffic control.

" _ATC, this is Nomad, currently docked in Station 5. Requesting clearance for take-off,_ "

" _Clearance denied, Nomad._ " An air traffic controller replied. " _Airspace has been closed for the moment for military uses._ "

Then, Sol suddenly interjected. " _This is Sunstone Facet 5F7G Cut 50L, Emissary of White Diamond. The pilot of this ship is transporting me on a special mission given to me by White Diamond herself. I'm sure you know that she doesn't like her servants being delayed of her task._ "

The air traffic controller's voice quivered with fear. " _Y… yes, forgive me, sir. I'll prioritize your leave_. _Your clearance is granted._ "

Morgan cocked an eyebrow at Sol. "Did you just abuse your authority?"

"Just this one time, Morgan. Plus, whoever your guy is has information that could benefit the Homeworld Army." Sol reclined back in the co-pilot's seat, placing his hands behind his head. "So, where are we heading?"

"You'll see."

* * *

"Are you sure the intel is correct?" Bloodstone asked; his fingers tapping on the desk.

"Yes, the captive cracked like an egg." Aventurine replied. The dark green Gem's hands were bruised, likely from 'extracting' the information from the prisoner.

"I'll inform Rose Quartz of this. You know what to do with the prisoner."

"I'll prepare the stake." He grinned.

Bloodstone left the room, a pair of Agates bowed their heads when he emerged from the door. The forest air smelled crisp and fresh, almost unstained by war. The recent rainfall had turned the ground muddy and moist. The canopy of trees provided them shelter but they were ineffective if Homeworld decided to use their scanners in the area.

He preferred remaining underground inside their massive cave systems, planning their attacks and reorganizing their numbers. But Rose Quartz insisted he and a few of his Gems spend some time outside and enjoy the 'beauty of Nature'. He would rather be killing Homeworld soldiers and destroying their installations instead of wasting time looking at trees or the sky. He was fortunate enough to bring the prisoner along without her knowing.

Bloodstone found Rose Quartz in her tent. Her sorry excuse for a second-in-command was teaching a group of Gems on how to swordfight in a circular open area. She kept blabbering on about what it means to be free and being unique.

"Rose Quartz, I bring news." He announced himself to the equally tall Quartz.

"Is it about the humans? Has Homeworld attacked them?" The rebel leader seemed to always ask about the humans first instead of the Homeworld's activity, a habit which proves to be somewhat annoying for him at times.

"No, it's something even better. My scouts say that Blue Diamond is assembling her court members at the Cloud Arena. I believe now is a great opportunity to cripple the Homeworld's grasp over Earth by taking out their supervisor."

Rose Quartz smiled at the news and even agreed at the plan. "It is a great opportunity indeed, Bloodstone. I'll go with Pearl and the two of us will deal with Blue Diamond and her court members."

"Two?" Bloodstone was flabbergasted. "Rose Quartz, you can't be serious. How can you take on Blue Diamond and her followers with just you and a Pearl?" He felt like he should have taken back the last part when he saw her frown. Everyone knew how close Rose Quartz was with the Pearl. Just by calling her _a Pearl_ was an insult. Only the lower ranking Gems view her as an inspiration. The Quartzes and others, including Bloodstone and his company just view her as a laughing stock.

"Pearl is not just _a_ Pearl, she's my friend and your commander." She reminded him in a less polite tone before her frown flattened and her tone returned to her usual kind and loving self. "Now back to the topic at hand, I do not intend on killing Blue Diamond."

"You're not?"

"No, I merely want to make her leave this planet. But if she is uncooperative, then I have no choice but to kill her. That is why this is a two-Gem mission."

"It will be a lot easier if a pair of Gems accompany you. I can have a few of my—"

"—I appreciate your help, Bloodstone." Rose cut off his sentence with a raise of a hand. "But Pearl and I can handle this alone."

Bloodstone was displeased at her decline for additional help but he hid it from sight. "Then I wish you good luck, for the both of you."

Once they exited her tent, Rose Quartz called out for Pearl. Like any other Pearl, the second-in-command quickly rush to her mistress's side upon hearing her voice.

"What's the matter, Rose? Is there something wrong?" She said worryingly.

"Grab your swords, Pearl. We got a mission to do."

"Just the two of us?"

Rose nodded. "Just the two of us."

Pearl held both her hands and smiled gleefully. Her eyes started sparkling like stars at the prospect of fighting side-by-side with the pink Quartz once again. "Just give me a second, Rose. Then we'll show the Homeworld what we're made off."

As Rose Quartz and Pearl prepare themselves for Cloud Arena, Bloodstone leaned against a stack of crates, grinding his teeth as he looked at the two with distaste from a distance.

 _I hope you and your Pearl die at Cloud Arena, Rose. You've made a mistake going there with just the two of you. And I'll be happy knowing that your gemstone is shattered because of that mistake._

* * *

Sol didn't know what was worst; walking across the wide, barren plains or walking _while_ wearing this set of human clothes Morgan had given him. It consisted of a wool fringed robe with leather sandals and a truncated cone headdress lined with beads. Morgan had told him that it was necessary to dress this way to 'blend in' and they had to walk a few miles to where his guy was because the locals are very superstitious about flying objects.

"How far is this place?" Sol asked after an hour of walking.

"Not that far." Morgan replied. He was wearing a similar looking set of clothes, except it was lilac in color and he wore a light blue tagelmust instead of a headdress. "Just look for a settlement somewhere up north."

Climbing up a hill, He saw the settlement at the distance, a square-shaped city that bathed in golden sunlight. Small figures were seen entering and exiting the city's massive gates, bringing with them four-legged creatures carrying goods and supplies. There was a large river near the banks of the city where vegetation was seen growing and being harvested by bare-chested humans.

"Behold! The city of Uruk," Morgan presented, extending one hand forward and placing the other on Sol's shoulder.

The name 'Uruk' ringed a bell in his ears. That was when he remembered a conversation he had with White Diamond. Uruk was one of human settlements she had sent probes to in order to gather information about the humans and their culture then integrate it to her project. But the Uruk he saw back then was just a cluster of villages, not a city. This made him peak his interest on the humans even more.

"Wow, this place is…" Sol couldn't think of a better word to describe the city. How it managed to escape the conflicts of the Rebellion was another story of its own. But how these primitive humans managed to build such a settlement was the real question.

"Amazing? Incredible? Remarkable?" Morgan kept spilling out words until one of them was the correct answer.

"Well actually, it's all of the above."

"Hah, I knew you'll like it. C'mon, my guy's inside the city."

They joined up with a merchant caravan that was passing through the city. Some of them were riding brown, four-legged creatures which Morgan calls 'horses'. Their goods and supplies were carried by similar looking 'horses' except they were shorter. Morgan, again, corrected him by stating they are called 'mules'.

After minutes of debating about the differences between 'horses' and 'mules', their eyes were met with one of the three large gates of the city. It towered over them; even its shadow was as tall as the gate itself. The gate was decorated with images of tranquillity and harmony but there were two images that struck out the most for Sol. Two images on each side of the gate's pillars bear the likeness of a long-haired woman wearing a cloak. One hand was holding a planet while the other was holding the opposite end of her cloak. It took him a few seconds for his brain to process the images before he sputtered out two words.

"Blue Diamond?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Morgan then began to explain a brief history about Uruk. "During the early years of the colonization process, Blue Diamond stumbled upon this region of the planet. The humans, instead of attacking her, worshipped her, claiming that she is the god An, reincarnate in a majestic female form who will reunite the heaven and earth. So, Blue Diamond decided to spare this region from her plans and let them do their worship in her name. Thus, that's the reason why there are images of Blue Diamond on the gates."

"So these humans think of us as divine deities?"

"Technically they think the Diamonds are divine deities. In their eyes, the Gems are servants who have ascended to the heavens to serve them once again."

"The last part sounds about right."

They passed through the gate and found themselves inside a wide square ground filled with people roaming around, doing their mundane every-day tasks just like the Gems back in Homeworld would. The buildings and walls were all made of clay bricks. It wasn't the most durable of building materials but it was certainly unexpected for the humans to possess knowledge on how to use them.

They headed to another area of the city where hundreds of tent were erected, forming canvases of multiple colors if looked from above. Merchants and traders were shouting a foreign language, inviting people to look at their wares and buy them. Sol didn't knew if the humans accept Homeworld credits but based on his observation, they seem to be using a barter system, trading one item for another.

Morganite let him inside a building. A young male human was busy cleaning the clay pots that were arranged on the shelves. There were also a few sacks containing powder-like substances as well as rolls of heavy fabric that leaned against a corner. All and all, the building looked like a general goods store.

Morgan then talked to the young human with the same foreign language as the merchants and traders had used outside. The human nodded and went to the back of the store; footsteps were heard descending down a set of stairs, meaning that there is another floor below them.

"What did you just say to that human?" Sol whispered.

"I just said that an old friend has come to pay a visit." The pink Beryl replied. "Oh, and that human is called a 'boy' by the way."

Sol sighed. "You really need to teach me more about Earth and its inhabitants once we're done here."

"A Beryl teaching a Feldspar?" Morgan snickered. "I wonder what the others will say about that."

Before he could counter his friend's snarky comment, the boy came back and invited them downstairs. The stairs were dusty and crumbling. They continued until they realised they weren't going down a floor, they were going underground. The boy lit a torch from a nearby brazier and led them down until they come across a room filled with not-so-human items.

The boy inserted the torch on a sconce and went forward where a shadowy man was sitting at his desk, looking at a slab of engravings behind the desk. He whispered a few words to the man, causing him to stand up.

"Morganite Facet 7P9H Cut 9R5." The man said in a low, gruff voice. He moved closer to the pair; the torches slowly revealed his charcoal robes and gleaming golden belt around his waist. His face was cleverly hidden by the dark lighting of the room but one could catch a glimpse of his skin; black like coal.

Morgan moved forward as well, extending his arms to greet his old friend. "My friend, it's good to-"

His greeting was abruptly interrupted when a smacking punch to the face from the man that sent him down on one knee. Sol tried to summon his dagger but Morgan raised a hand and told him to stop.

"I guess I deserved that, huh?" Morgan tried to crack a smile but groaned when he felt the pain in his cheek.

"That's for the plutonium job." The man said before helping him up. "You better have a good reason to be here after what happened last time, Morgan."

"Take it easy, Jet and let's forget about that job. I'm here because my friend needs some help."

"Jet?" Sol was surprised. "Your 'guy' is a Gem, a black marketer Gem?"

"Okay, that's just gemcist." Jet took a step forward, pointing an accusing finger at Sol. The torch light revealed his oval-shaped gemstone on his right eye that resembled an eyepatch. "Just because I'm a black Gem doesn't mean I'm a black marketer. I prefer the word 'entrepreneur' to describe my line of work."

"That's just another word for black marketer."

Jet groaned, slapping his hand on his forehead. "Morgan, who is this friend of yours and why does he smell like the GDA?"

"That's because I'm an emissary for White Diamond." Sol revealed before Morgan could even open his mouth.

The Beryl just placed a hand on his face and shook his head in disbelief as Jet widened his eyes and made a frowning expression before he shot a look at Morgan and grabbed him by the collar.

"You brought a GDA official into my shop!?" Jet yelled, shaking Morgan like a ragdoll. "Do you have any idea what kind of heat this will attract!?"

"Relax Mr 'Entrepreneur'." Sol calmly said. "I'm here on unofficial business."

"Official, unofficial, it doesn't matter. If my clients know that there was a GDA official in my shop. They'll leave. Fewer clients equal less profit."

"I'll forget about this day if you could just answer what this thing is." He showed the black Gem the brooch. "Plus, I'll throw in a few thousand credits as an added bonus."

The mention of 'few thousand credits' made him cool down and drop Morganite. "Fine, but I want those credits under five separate cards. Now, the brooch…"

Sol handed him the brooch and he went to his desk. He swiped the scrolls and tablets away to make room and pulled out a multi-lensed monocle from the drawer.

"Let see now," He lowered a lens down to increase the zoom of his monocle. For an 'entrepreneur', he looked more like a collector with the robes and monocle. "This isn't a brooch, it's a combat token."

"Looks too primitive to be a combat token," Sol stated. Combat tokens were mostly used as a way for the military to record their soldiers' performance during battle. After a battle, they would insert these tokens into a machine and calculate the Gems' combat efficiency. But this would later be redundant due to how easy it was to lose them.

"That's because this one is made out of foreign material that's thousands of years old." Jet explained. "The engravings are actually inscriptions that are written in the Rythroon language and the image is that of a Lyaux, both of which are native to the planet Rythria.

"Never heard of that planet before,"

"That's because it was destroyed several centuries ago." Jet answered in a deadpan tone.

"Can you translate the inscriptions?" Morgan asked.

"Sure, just let me bring out my encyclopaedia and cross reference the inscriptions with surviving Rythrian records and logs and… there you go!" Jet projected the translations from his desk which reads, ' _Their Blood is Our Strength._ '

"Creepy…" Sol said under his breath after he repeated the words. "Do you know what division would use such a motto?"

"How should I know? I'm not the one working for the GDA!" Jet shot back. "Anyways, my job's done; just remember your part of the bargain."

"I'll have Morganite deliver the credits within this planet's week."

"Wait," Jet called out as the two were about to climb up the stairs. He clapped his hands and another boy appeared carrying a tray with two clay cups filled of brown liquid. "Before you go, try some of my product I'm selling to the humans. It's called 'beer' and they loved it. Don't worry, its harmless to us Gems. Call it 'customer service' if you will."

Morgan gladly accepted Jet's offer. "I just knew I missed something. Thanks for reminding me of the beer, Jet."

"I'm only doing this to make sure your 'friend' doesn't report this to the GDA." Jet harshly reminded him. "Just make sure he doesn't cause any trouble for my business."

"As long as your _business_ doesn't involve Homeworld or the rebels, then we'll just get along fine." Sol informed him before grabbing a cup and leaving the shop.

* * *

Morgan came up and saw Sol spewing the beer he had just drink.

"By the Diamonds, this thing taste horrible. How on Earth do the humans even like this vile liquid?"

"It takes time to get used to the groggy taste." Morgan replied before taking a sip of his beer.

"How did you even meet up with that black market-entrepreneur-whatever that Gem calls himself?" Sol asked, wiping his mouth.

"I met him during my early bounty hunting days. He's a great guy once you get to know him better. And I assure you that his line of work is legit… well, half of it that is. He settled here a few years ago because of potential 'business opportunities' in the planet."

"Does he do business with the rebels?"

Morgan laughed. "Jet's a smart Gem. He tries to avoid walking into the crossfire by playing it safe and prefers to do business with third party members. Even if the reward's higher than the risk, he still plays by the books. That's why he manages to survive this long."

After their conversation, the two finished their beers. Morgan tried to persuade Sol to empty up his cup, though it ended up making him feel a bit nauseated. He decided to give the Feldspar a tour around the city, showing him the residence district where cubicle clay brick houses were arranged side-by-side. Sol took a few pictures of the buildings and architecture, hoping to send them to White Diamond for her project.

They went to the center of the city where a raised platform with a statue that resembled Blue Diamond was being showered with praises and gifts. The humans prostrate themselves in front of the statue chanting a prayer that was too long for him to translate for Sol.

Then a stone was thrown at the statue. The prayers were suddenly replaced by gasps as someone repeatedly shouted 'False God!' in the local language before throwing more stones at the statue. The nearby guards manage to quickly tackle him before he could do anymore damage.

"Heretic!" One of the devotees jeered.

"Kill the defiler!" Another one shouted as the guards dragged the man away.

"What was that all about?" Sol asked curiously.

"Let's just say some people here don't believe that Blue Diamond is their savior. They believe that the Rosen Goddess is the true savior of the world and that An is a false god that must be overthrown. I don't think I need to tell you who the Rosen Goddess is."

Before they could continue on their tour, Sol's wrist communicator started beeping. "Dammit, it's Janae. Quick, find some place that's quiet and discreet."

They managed to find an alleyway that was far away from the humans. Sol initiated the call and was met with a stern looking Janae.

"Where on Earth are you… an.. and why are you dressed like that?" She asked, puzzled at the Feldspar's appearance.

"I was doing a reconnaissance mission on the humans for White Diamond, had to look the part to avoid suspicions." Sol lied.

"I see." Janae was scratching her chin before her eyes caught something. "Wait, is that the Morganite I see behind you?"

Sol moved aside, revealing Morgan who slightly raised both his hands in a surrendering gesture at the general. "You've caught me, General."

"What are _you_ doing with the emissary?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm his bodyguard. Plus I have more experience on—"

"None of that matters now," The general cut him off and moved her attention towards Sol. "Sunstone, your presence is required at Cloud Arena."

"Has something happened?" Sol asked in concern.

"The rebels have attacked Blue Diamond and her court members."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Due to Steven Universe having an alternate history, I've decided to include minor edits on the Mesopotamian society and the city of Uruk. Knowledge about the Mesopotamians is quite scarce during 3700 BC so I had to use/tweak what was available.**

 **Yes, this takes places before/during the events of The Answer.**

 **Rythria, the Rythroon language and Lyauxes are all fictional. I simply used their names for story progression.**

 **Reviews are always welcome. PM me if you have questions.**

 **Vocabulary:**

 **ATF - Air Traffic Control**

 **GDA - Great Diamond Authority**


	7. Cloud Arena

**Chapter 6: Cloud Arena**

Hidden in layers of clouds and behind a mountain was Cloud Arena, a large floating Gem structure designed for cultural meetings. The arena resembled a dome-shaped building turned upside-down. Hundreds of arched windows lined the walls below the arena's platform. Gems were seen roaming inside, looking down at their would-be new colony or just simply having a conversation with each other.

The _Nomad_ was docked at the arena's landing pad. Sol stepped out, wearing his emissary robes, and smelled the crisp air. It was a good change of scenery after spending most of his years on Earth sitting around in Firebase Sard. Instead of soldiers marching about, there were Gems of nobility and respect crowding the marble-floored area. Their physical forms had extravagant and luxurious appearances to match their status and wealth. No Gem was seen without wearing an elegant dress or coat. Some had their Pearls beside them, boasting on about their talents.

Sol found the whole scene quite amazing and disturbing at the same time. _Only a few hours ago they had been besieged by the rebels, now they act like nothing had happened._

"Whatever business you have with Blue Diamond, you better make it quick." Morgan said with a curled lip as he stood beside the Feldspar. "I don't like being surrounded with all these 'Poshes'. They're too full of themselves."

"Then why don't you just stay with the _Nomad_. I'll make this one quick and brief, provided that Her Excellency isn't in a bad mood."

"Has she ever been in a bad mood?"

"Sometimes," Sol admitted. "But not in front of her subjects."

Two blue Quartz guards then appeared, walking in unison towards the two visitors. They wore navy blue cuirasses, a short cloak around their broad shoulders and diamond-crested visor halfhelms just like the ones back in base but unlike them, these Quartzes were less brutish and more 'graceful' in appearance. This was a trait most commonly seen in Caerulean Gems, Gems that were made in Blue Diamond's territories.

"Her Grace, Blue Diamond wishes to speak to you." One of Quartzes said.

"I'm sure she does. We'll just—"

"Except for _you_ ," The Quartz guard glared at the pink Beryl suspiciously, looking at him as if he was about to cause trouble.

"It's okay," Morgan confessed. "Clearly I'm too _low of stature_ to be here anyways. I'll just hang back in the _Nomad_ if you need me. Have fun with the Poshes."

Sol was relieved that the guards brushed off the light insult. For a friend he is, Morgan always did have a loud mouth, even during his commander years. Most Gems just look at it as a joke but in a place like this, any joke that sounded like an insult, especially to an aristocratic Caerulean Gem was punishable by death or suspended imprisonment.

Most Gems in Cloud Arena were shades of blue and red, so it was unlikely that he stood out amongst the crowd. Every aristocrat, court member and visitor he passed through greeted him with courteous nods and bows. Sol had to maintain his smile along the way even after his cheekbones started to ache. Behind his back, he could hear them whispering about how he was White Diamond's emissary or that they've never seen any Gem like him.

As he neared Blue Diamond's palanquin, his path was blocked by three Gems conversing with each other, giggling and gossiping, unaware of his presence.

"Um, pardon me." Sol announced himself.

Two of them stopped and gasped while the other one, a blue Gem with a gemstone on her back turned around and was surprised.

"Oh, I'm… s-sorry for…" The blue Gem was hesitating to get her words out correctly. It was clear that she was shy and unprepared for a situation like this.

"It's okay." Sol raised a hand to hush her. "May I pass through?"

"O-Of course," The blue Gem and her friends made way for him to continue on his path.

"Have a nice day, sir." She said, letting out a warm smile. The way she said it sounded like she was mustering enough confidence just to speak those five words.

By the time he had reached Blue Diamond's palanquin, a Citrine emerged from behind the blue velvet curtains. It was Thunderfist.

"Well, well. I see Janae finally hauled your ass over here." He called out the moment he saw the Sunstone approached.

"Thunderfist," Sol greeted, exchanging handshakes. "So, why are you here?"

"My division patrols the area where Cloud Arena is floating above. So any problems that happen in this area, me and my soldiers have to deal with it. That said, Blue Diamond has given me orders to search the area below for two particular Gems."

 _Two Gems?_ "Let me guess, the rebels?"

Thunderfist chuckled. "Yes and no. I think its best you talk to Blue Diamond. She'll give you the full story. Oh, and be careful. Her Grace isn't exactly in a good mood today. Not since after the attack. "

He took the Citrine's advice to heart and took a deep breath before entering the palanquin. Blue Diamond's Pearl stood beside her, silent and graceful as all Pearls should be. The blue leader herself was sitting on her throne, the top half of her face was covered by her long blue cloak. She smelled of fragrance, strong and alluring.

"Blue Diamond, I've come to answer your summoning." Sol began.

"So you're the Sunstone that my White Sister has highly spoken about." Underneath her cloak, Blue Diamond observed the emissary with piercing blue eyes. "Tell me, do you know why you're summoned here?"

"I've heard that you and your court members were attacked by the rebels. As a representative of my Diamond, I offer you her condolences."

A small smile crept up her face. "Your sympathy is well noted, but the reason I called you here is because I have a task for you. From what I heard, you had helped my Yellow Sister in solving a few of her 'problems'."

"They were just minor problems, Your Grace." Sol politely replied. "It is her soldiers that made the big difference in crushing the rebellion."

"But _you_ also contribute to that difference." Blue Diamond added. "This is why we must keep that difference into our favor."

"What are you implying, Your Grace?"

"A member of my court has betrayed me." She revealed with a tone that was half-distraught and half-infuriated. "A Sapphire, out of all Gems."

Sol was shocked. "The Sapphire that had just arrived? But how could that be?"

"Before the rebels attacked, she gave me her vision. The Rebellion would end with the capture of Rose Quartz and her renegade Pearl after they had destroyed the physical forms of seven Gems, including the Sapphire. The price was _reasonable_ considering what we will gain at the end."

"You said the Rebellion _would_ end."

"Indeed, the Rebellion _would_ have ended there if not for the action of one of her Ruby bodyguards. She deliberately saved the Sapphire and thus, changed the outcome of the vision."

"The Ruby was doing what she was assigned to do, and that was to protect the Sapphire."

"True," Blue Diamond begrudgingly admitted. "But a Gem must know when to serve their purpose and when to know when that purpose is done. And that wasn't the only thing the Ruby did. She also fused with the Sapphire."

Sol was baffled. "A Ruby _fusing_ with a Sapphire? That's impossible. No Gem has ever tried mixed fusion, not even during battle."

"Which is why such an atrocious act must be met with swift punishment. The Ruby was willingly ready to accept her punishment, but the Sapphire…" Blue Diamond formed a fist with her right hand in anger. "The Sapphire had other plans. She took the Ruby and escaped into the world below. I fear that if they turned themselves to the rebels, the difference we have against them will drastically turn towards their favor."

"Then tell me what to do, Your Grace."

"You will go down and track down the Sapphire, no doubt the Ruby will guard her. Capture her and bring her gemstone to me, _intact_."

"What about the Ruby?"

"I don't care what happens to her, break her if you want. But remember, your priority is the Sapphire. She must not turn herself over to the rebels or only the stars know how long this rebellion will last."

"Very well, I'll return to Firebase Sard and—"

Blue Diamond cut him off with a raise of a hand. "That won't be necessary. I've already ordered the Diopside to prepare your equipment. It will be at the landing pad near your friend's ship."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Sol made a quick bow, gesturing the diamond symbol with his hands and left.

* * *

Sol approached the _Nomad_ and saw Morganite sitting at what looks to be the equipment crate.

"Mind telling me why two Quartz guards just hauled this thing near my ship?" Morgan asked, his hand patting the top of the grey rectangular crate.

"A gift from Diopside."

"For you I assumed." Morgan shot a mischievous look at him and smirked.

Sol feigned suspicion. "Very charming, Morgan. Now get off the crate." Once the Beryl got off, he opened the crate and saw his equipment, as well as Morgan's. "I guess she didn't totally forget about you."

"Well, they always say that Morganites are usually created with a certain charm."

Sol couldn't help but snicker and make a sarcastic reply. "I'm _sure_ they'd said that. Anyways, get this thing inside. Blue Diamond just gave us a mission."

"What's the mission this time? Search-and-Destroy? Bag-and-Tag?"

"How do you like the sound of 'Posh Hunting'?" He asked with a grin.

Morgan raised an eyebrow, amused at the idea. "Is that even legal?"

"Well," He closed the crate with a loud _thump_. "It is now."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **It's on now! I've decided to make this a two-parter to avoid it from being too long.**

 **The idea of Caerulean Gems helps identify whose colony/territory they were created in. It's also one of the main foundations of how my idea of Homeworld works. For Yellow Diamond, White Diamond, and Pink Diamond Gems, they are called Flavensi, Alban, and Rosean Gems respectively.**

 **In other news, the new episodes of Steven Universe (especially Same Old World) has expanded my idea on the Rebellion/Gem War. Can't wait for 'Hit the Diamond' where *Spoilers* they will introduce five Homeworld Rubies.**


	8. New Home

**Chapter 7: New Home**

The leaves that blocked their path were swatted away as they walked along the wet grassy path until they reached their destination.

"Welcome to your new home." Rose Quartz announced to the two (former) Homeworld Gems.

"It's… uh, nice." Ruby couldn't think of a better word to describe the rebels' outpost. It wasn't exactly as well-equipped as Homeworld's but it did have the basic necessities like barracks, a depot and a training yard. There were a few soldiers practicing there, Rubies like her as well as a few Quartzes and other Gems that looked like they weren't created for battle.

"Pearl will show you two to your quarters. I must organize a meeting with my commanders to inform them of our discovery."

Ruby knew what the rebel leader meant about their 'discovery'. It was _them_ she was talking about, her and Sapphire, or at least the fusion they had formed into. Something about her… or them made her smile unlike the residents of Cloud Arena who shunned at them.

"Unbelievable! Disgusting!" Those were some of the words they thrown at them.

 _But why would they call me— us that?_ She thought. _I only meant to protect Sapphire, I did mean to…_ Then, her mind returned to that moment when Blue Diamond was about to punish her for her intolerance. _Ugh, why didn't I just let her crush me? Then none of this would've happen and Sapphire would—_

"You okay?" Sapphire asked her when she saw her squeezing her head in frustration.

"Okay? Yeah sure I'm okay. I'm _totally_ okay of the fact that we're now REBELS!" Ruby snapped. She was panicking and breathing uncontrollably until Pearl started to get annoyed with it.

"Don't worry," She reassured to the small red Gem. "Homeworld will have to lose hundreds of their soldiers before they could ever get to you two. I'll personally kill them all myself." Her optimism was quite high (and outright insane) even after pointing her blade at them when they stumbled upon the two in the forest. "Now c'mon, I'll show you to your quarters."

There was something about the Pearl that made Ruby nervous. One moment she was slashing away at Gems with the ferocity of a Quartz soldier. Then the next, she starts being kind and polite like any other Pearl would have. _Maybe that was why Homeworld called her a defective renegade Pearl._ She remembered her taking down her friends... no, _former_ friends after they unfused. The thought of them saddened her for now they knew her as a traitor; their captain, a traitor of the Homeworld.

 _Stop crying,_ a voice in her head called out. _Forget about who you were. You're a rebel now; you're your own Gem!_

 _No, this is bad._ Another more pessimistic voice intruded. _You ran away from your punishment. They'll send a hunting squad after you. And when they find you, they'll crush your gemstone and take Sapphire back to Blue Diamond!_

"Nooo!" Ruby shouted out loud, eyes stared at her in awkwardness as the whole yard fell in silence. She shifted her eyes left and right and realized that she was making an embarrassment of herself. "I mean… _know_ any other Rubies that have defected to the rebels?" She directed the well-improvised question to Pearl.

"You could have just asked it a bit more… subtle." Pearl replied wearily. "But yes, there are some Rubies that have joined our cause, but most of them done it in secrecy."

The three continued their walk, the clash of swords that rang across the yard had already resumed. Sapphire quietly went to Ruby's side. Despite wearing a blue dress, she moved as silent and graceful as the wind. In fact, she _moved_ like the wind when they escaped Cloud Arena together.

"You know, I did foresee a possibility that you would make an embarrassment of yourself." She said softly as they walked behind Pearl. "But I didn't expect that outcome."

Ruby noticed that the aristocratic Gem had been using the word 'possibility' lately whenever she used her power to see into the future. Likely she was becoming doubtful of their accuracy after what happen back in the arena.

"So what did you expect?"

"You would light the ground on fire and start quivering in panic." Sapphire giggled a bit at the possible outcome.

 _Wow, she really can see into the future._ Ruby thought with a sheepish chuckle.

Pearl showed them their quarters inside the barracks. They had access to a metal-framed bunk bed, a crate which serves as a desk and also a stool.

"Sorry if it isn't what you expected," She said to Sapphire. "This is all that we could offer you."

"It's okay. I've predicted much worse things than this."

"Get some rest if you need it, I must go back to Rose."

Once Pearl was gone, Ruby climbed up the bunk bed and took the top bunk. It's been a long time since she could finally take a nap. The last time she took one was during the flight to Earth. However, it wasn't a peaceful one since her two teammates kept playing 'Punch-Tag' inside their room. They were always a rowdy bunch, but the three made a great team when they worked together. Well, _did_.

 _I'm sure Rose Quartz would find me some Rubies I could team up with._ Ruby thought, trying to clear her mind away from her former life, but it wasn't the same. Most Gems look at Rubies as grunts, numerous and… expendable. But in truth, Rubies can be a formidable fighting force especially when they were put in a team. They became 'battle-bonded', a term used by Homeworld military to describe the efficiency and teamwork of a group of similar Gems. They were able to fuse at will and were taught how to fight together as a team.

A chill ran up her spine. Ruby thought it was just her imagination, but then she touched the metal frame of her bed and realized it was covered in a thin layer of ice. She heard the crackling sound of ice forming below her and leaned her head down to see Sapphire sleeping, or at least that's what she thinks she was doing. The bangs of her hair covered her sky-blue eye so it was hard to tell. Nonetheless, Ruby pulled her head back up and tried to get some shut eye.

"Hey Ruby," Sapphire suddenly spoke.

Ruby opened an eye and answered, "Yeah?"

"Thanks again for saving me from Pearl back in Cloud Arena. You were very brave."

She felt her body burning up as her cheeks reddened. The thin layer of ice that covered the metal frame of her bed started melting, drops of water trickled down to the floor. "I… I was just doing my duty. I didn't mean to… you know…"

"It's okay. We'll figure out what to do with the fusion thing once we clear our heads."

* * *

Loud footsteps awakened her from her slumber. Ruby opened her eyes and saw a big, brutish Amethyst soldier standing in front of her. The purple Quartz towered over the bunk bed with alarming purple eyes looking down at the two small Gems.

"You two come with me," said the Amethyst. "Rose Quartz has called for your presence."

As if by instinct, Ruby obeyed and jumped down her bed, following the Amethyst outside with Sapphire behind her. She hadn't realised it by now, but the day had come to an end. The cloudy blue skies that were painted above their heads were now black and speckled with bright stars.

Rose Quartz's tent was a canvas of white and lilac with a pink flag flying above it. It had the symbol of a pink rose with two thorny vines crossing each other behind it. Light emitted from the entrance along with the harsh sounds of bickering. Ruby knew this wasn't going to be good, and she didn't need any future vision to tell.

"Your act nearly cost us our whole cause, Rose!" A Gem boomed when Ruby and Sapphire entered. He looked like a Quartz just from the size of him. His dark green skin was speckled with red spots, giving him an almost menacing look.

There was a crowd of Gems conversing around a table. Rose Quartz's pink curly hair was seen sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Watch your mouth, Bloodstone!" Pearl hissed. She was pale in comparison to the Quartz but she fought back with venom in her mouth. "This is Rose Quartz you're talking to here, your leader."

"We should be grateful that she still _is_ our leader." Bloodstone growled at the slender second-in-command, causing her to wince and take cover behind Rose. "You told me that you would go to Cloud Arena to make Blue Diamond leave. Instead, you return with nothing to show for."

"We destroyed six Gems." Pearl boldly replied.

"But were any one of them Blue Diamond?" The room fell into deep dismay when Pearl bowed and slowly shook her head. Bloodstone looked at Rose Quartz and continued, albeit with a much less hostile tone. "That should've been the endgame, Rose. If you had just taken my offer of help, we would have had Blue Diamond's gemstone in our hands and half of Homeworld's army retreating. The least you could've done was bring back something useful."

"But we did bring something back from Cloud Arena." Rose spoke with a smile. She gestured a hand and showed them Ruby and Sapphire who were standing in front of the Amethyst.

Bloodstone made a confused look. " _That's_ what you brought back, a grunt and an aristocrat?"

"She's not just any aristocrat." Pearl rebutted. "She's a Sapphire."

The crowd gasped in surprise, sending Ruby into a defensive stance to protect Sapphire. The whole situation reminded her of Blue Diamond's court members that looked at them with shame and disgust.

"And that's not all," Rose added. "They can also fuse."

Laughter erupted from Bloodstone's side. "A soldier and an aristocrat fusing… That's rich."

Rose Quartz just gave the dark green-skinned Gem a stone-hard look to cement her statement.

"You're not joking are you?" When the rebel leader shook her head, Bloodstone coughed and straightened himself. "Even if what you say is right, Rose, how can a mixed fusion be more useful than a regular fusion?"

"We don't know. But what I saw in those two when they fused was something incredible. It was like living work of art, beautiful and unique."

"Works of art don't win wars, Rose." Bloodstone argued. "Only trained Gems and weapons."

"Then why don't you train them to use their fusion?" Pearl asked.

The Quartz snorted and said, "I would rather train a bunch of Pyrites on how to juggle knives than train these two as a fusion. Maybe the Ruby would do, but the Sapphire, no. She's too _fragile_.

"Hey! If Sapphire can't train then I won't. My duty is to protect her." Ruby suddenly blurted out.

Bloodstone observed the small Gem's protective behaviour and chuckled grimly. "Whatever 'duty' you were given before you came here doesn't matter now. You're a rebel, a fugitive. So you either fight or be shattered when Homeworld comes after you."

"I'm not afraid of Homeworld, or even you!" Ruby glared at him with eyes burning with fury. She was letting her impulsiveness overcloud her sense of thinking. It was unwise to aggravate a Quartz Gem but she didn't care. She wasn't going to let anyone call Sapphire fragile.

"You should be…" The two exchanged daggers until Rose Quartz broke it up, preventing them from starting a fight inside her tent.

"Maybe we should try a different approach." She wearily suggested. "A sparring match could help. You could have one of your soldiers fight against Ruby and Sapphire's fusion to test them."

Bloodstone paused for a moment to think and then grinned, "As you say, Rose Quartz."

* * *

Moonlight lit the training yard as the rebels took their seats for the upcoming match. Bloodstone called out one of his finest Gems, a Carnelian. She was about the same height as Pearl but a bit stockier. When she tried to pull out her weapon from her gemstone that was embedded on her left shoulder, Bloodstone stopped her.

"No weapons, Carnelian." He ordered her. "Go easy on the two. You know how Caerulean Gems are when it comes to their physical forms." His mocking tone garnered the sniggers of his soldiers.

Ruby ignored them and started doing warm-ups. Sapphire was in her usual posture. Her face showed neither fear nor concern which made the small red Gem a bit tense.

"Aren't you going to prepare, Sapphire?" She asked her.

"I am preparing." She casually replied. "I'm using my future vision to see the outcome of this sparring match."

"And…?"

"Well," There was a brief moment of pause. "I think its best I shouldn't tell you."

"Any time now," Bloodstone whistled. His toothed grin and blood-red eyes spelled certain trouble for them.

Rose overviewed the match from in front of her tent. Pearl stood beside her like a thin white pole. The rebel leader looked at Ruby and Sapphire and said, "The match will begin once you two are fused. Good luck."

The two nodded and hold each other's hands. Ruby could feel her hands shaking as they started to spin slowly in circles. The spectators look on curiously. Even Bloodstone raised an eyebrow at their action.

"They're looking at us, Sapphire." Ruby whispered nervously.

"Then don't look at them, just look at me."

They started humming the same tune just like they did back in the forest. They span faster and faster until their gemstones glowed and they were engulfed in a bright white light. The crowd covered their eyes from the blinding light before they gazed upon _them_.

The fusion was a mix shade of red and blue. Her hair was like a puffy cloud, colours all messy and merged. Instead of two eyes, she had three, all different colours each one of them. Unlike the Gems on Cloud Arena, the rebels looked at her with awe, captivated by the fusion's colourful appearance. But it was short lived when—

"Let the match begin!" Bloodstone announced eagerly. His reaction towards the fusion wasn't as prolonged as the others.

Carnelian sprinted forwards, leaping into the air and slamming a fist down onto the fused pair. The ground exploded as the fusion barely managed to avoid the impact zone.

Inside her head, Ruby and Sapphire tried to figure out a way on how to beat their much stronger opponent.

"Now's our chance to attack her!" said Ruby.

"No," Sapphire objected. "We need to be careful and find a way to—"

"ATTACK!" Ruby's hot headed behaviour immediately took full control of the fusion, causing her to send a right punch at Carnelian. But the Gem managed to grab hold of her arm and tossed her to the other side of the ring.

A roar of laughter came from behind the fusion as her face dug into the dirt ground.

"Do you need a towel to wipe that dirt of your face?" One of Bloodstone's soldiers asked with a smug look.

"Why I outta…" Inside the fusion's mind, Ruby was boiling with anger; just waiting beat the smugness out of the rebel.

"Ruby please," Sapphire pleaded. "We need to work _together_ to win."

"I thought we _are_ working together?"

"No, you're letting your impulsiveness get over you."

She was right. Ruby was endangering them by being reckless. No wonder Homeworld looked at them as grunts. But she never had this problem before when fusing with the other Rubies. Maybe it was time she started using her head. "Alright," Ruby finally cooled down. "Let's start working together."

The fusion pulled herself up, trying to focus her attention on her opponent _in_ the ring and not outside. The heavy footsteps of Carnelian charging at her caught her attention. She dodged the steamrolling Gem and stepped back.

Carnelian came at her again, this time with full force. A flurry of punches and kicks were thrown at the fusion, but they were all dodged and blocked as if anticipated. The fusion was growing tired at playing defence, but not Carnelian. She continued increasing the intensity of her attacks, forcing the fusion to make a mistake, an opening. The opening came when the fusion started to slow down. Carnelian went for it with a hard-hitting fist, but….

The spectators gasped in surprise when the fusion blocked it with a pair of studded gauntlets that were magically summoned, sending a shockwave that slightly shook the training yard.

"W—I did it!" The fusion shouted out.

However, the celebration was cut short when Carnelian swept the distracted fusion's left leg, sending her crashing down into the ground with a loud _thud_. She then proceeded to summon her weapon, a reddish-brown shortsword and pointed the gleaming tip of the blade at her opponent's throat.

"That's enough!" Rose's voice was calm yet it cut through the crowd with authority. "It appears that Carnelian has won the match."

Carnelian immediately pulled her sword away from the fusion that soon defused back into Ruby and Sapphire and retreated back to Bloodstone's group. The two small Gems were startled at their new-found ability and the fact they were beaten.

"It seems clear that this fusion couldn't beat a Carnelian, let alone an unarmed one." Bloodstone's voice was cold and unforgiving. "I have no interest in training fusions who can't even beat a single Gem. Best you find someone else to train you two, provided _if_ they're even willing to."

Ruby felt a stab in her chest. Insults cut deeper than a sword, and this one went the deepest.

"Just who do you think you are talking like that, Bloodstone!?" Pearl furiously asked. "This isn't Homeworld! All Gems are free to decide what to do with their lives."

"That is very true, Pearl." Bloodstone pointed out. "And I'm free to decide _who_ I should train and _who_ I should not. After all, that's what makes us different than the Homeworld Gems isn't it, freedom to decide?" Pearl was silenced after losing the argument to the Quartz. "If you need me, I'll be patrolling the outer perimeters."

* * *

Ruby was lying on an open field, stargazing when Sapphire came. She had two Amethysts guarding her.

"How did you know how to find me?" She asked her. "Wait let me guess, future vision?"

Sapphire nodded and sat down beside the small red Gem. "I saw how depressed you were when Bloodstone said we weren't fit to be trained by him."

"I wasn't depressed!" Ruby rebutted.

"Yes you were."

Ruby grumbled in defeat. "What's wrong with that Quartz anyways? I thought this was the rebels?"

"Rose had told me that Bloodstone has that… 'Quartz attitude' even after he defected from Homeworld. But he is one of her most loyal commanders even though he sometimes doesn't see eye-to-eye with some of her ideas."

"You've talked to Rose Quartz?"

"Yes. After the match, Rose has decided to train us herself. She thinks we have something special."

"Right…" Ruby felt her cheeks burning. "Listen, I'm sorry for what happen back there… during the match."

"It's okay. I knew that was bound to happen. Well… except for the weapon summoning part."

"How did we even do that?"

"I don't know." Sapphire shrugged. It was odd hearing those words from someone who could predict the future. "Maybe it's because we worked together."

"We still got our butts kick though."

"Yes, we did get our 'butts' kicked." The two laughed before Sapphire suddenly stopped. Her smile turned to a frown, leaving Ruby puzzled.

"Is there something wrong?" Ruby asked worryingly.

"Trouble," Sapphire turned towards her guards and called them out. "Guards, please investigate that tree line over there."

"What for?" One of the guards asked.

"Just please investigate it."

"You heard the lady. C'mon." The other guard said, pulling the first one's arm and hauled her to the tree line.

A few seconds after they disappeared into the forest, the sound of scuffling was heard which startled Ruby and Sapphire followed by a _poof_ , warning the two that someone had been killed.

One of the guards emerged from the shadowy tree lines with a smirk on her face. The two small Gems felt relieved before the Amethyst collapsed, the hilt of a dagger protruded out from her back. A slow clap echoed throughout the forest as the Amethyst poofed back into her gemstone. Two figures started to take form. Both were tall and broad in shape. One of them had something behind its back, a rifle of sorts, long and slim.

"I have to say, that was very impressive." The one with the rifle spoke. It was a male voice that sounded friendly yet distrustful at the same time. "You've managed to pinpoint our location even though we covered our tracks that well. You certainly _are_ the Sapphire we've been looking for."

As they step forward into the moonlight, Ruby could see what they were up against. The Gem with the rifle was orange-skinned and wore a dark orange suit of similar design to hers except it had short sleeves, a bandolier and pouches. The one beside him was pink, just like Rose but was more muscular and wore a vest with dark pants. These weren't Quartz, but neither were they grunts. They had the look of trained killers.

"So, here's how it's going to go down." The orange Gem continued. "We can do this the easy way," He then summoned a revolver from his right hand and aimed it at the two, cocking a grin. "or the hard way."


	9. Hunt for Blue September

**Chapter 8: Hunt for Blue September**

"So, what's it gonna be?" Sol calmly asked as he aimed his revolver at them. There was fear in their eyes. The Sapphire was clever at hiding it since she was made to be always calm and collected even in times of distress. But the Ruby, she showed it too well despite her attempts at hiding it. The fire in her eyes slowly faded away as she stared at the barrel of his gun.

"Stay away from her!" the Ruby threatened them as the Sapphire went behind her.

"Listen, runt." Morgan barged in. "You've done your job well, maybe _too_ well. Why don't you just hand over the Sapphire and we'll just leave. Consider yourself grateful that you're low priority in Blue Diamond's eyes."

"If you want her," the Ruby slammed her hands, summoning a red gauntlet. "You have to pass through me!"

Morgan sighed, "You really don't know when to call it quits do you?" He dashed forward, knocking the Ruby away and grabbing the Sapphire by the arm. "Sorry little Gem, but you've been reassigned from guard duty." Just as he tried pulling the Sapphire away, he noticed that the Gem had encased the bottom half of herself in ice. "You're _really_ making this more difficult."

Suddenly, Ruby pounced on his back, grabbing hold of his head. "Stay away from her!"

Sol quickly aimed his revolver at the Ruby and waited to get a clean shot. The window of opportunity came and he fired, hitting the small red Gem by the arm. She fell down as her left arm crumbled.

"I had enough of this!" Sol exclaimed. "Morgan, kill the Ruby and grab the Sapphire before—"

"Ruby, Sapphire!" A voice called out from nearby. Three figures appeared, a slender Gem between two bulky ones.

"Pe-Pearl, h-help!" Ruby pleaded to the slender Gem before she fell unconscious from the pain.

"Ruby!" Pearl gasped in horror before she turned her eyes towards the two intruders and drew her swords. "We won't let you take them!"

 _Diamonds take me, why did it have to be her out of all Gems?_ The infamous renegade Pearl was the last rebel Sol wanted to fight. She was, after all, Orthoclase's former student. The thought of his grieving brother still plagues his mind, and killing her would make it even more worse. And that wasn't all he feared. Orthoclase had also taught her some of his swordfighting techniques, the same techniques she used to kill the countless Homeworld soldiers that fell by her blade. Facing her would be like facing his brother. He turned to Morgan, looking for some kind of response. But the Beryl had that look on his face, the look of vengeance.

"Ah, so you're the defective renegade Pearl that serves as Rose Quartz's second-in-command." He said before summoning his two hatchets. a menacing grin revealed his almost perfect looking teeth. "Killing you would be half as satisfying as killing that pink chubby traitor herself!"

The two clashed, axes met swords as the forest echoed. _Clang_ and _clang_ they went before Pearl tried to lunge forward, only for Morgan to sidestep, disarming her and kicking her away. He chuckled at the sight of the easily defeated Gem that had been the end for many Homeworld soldiers. Even Sol was surprised. _Morgan is barely a master swordfighter and yet he manages to disarm her that quick. Has Pearl gone rusty?_ He remembered how delighted Orthoclase was at training her under his wing. It was one of the few moments he actually saw him being happy. If he saw her now, he would've been ashamed.

"Wow, you're miserable, even for a Pearl." Morgan taunted before kicking the swords back to his opponent. "C'mon, this fight is far from over."

Angered by the insult, Pearl grabbed her swords and charged at the Beryl with full force.

Sol and the other two rebels had been too busy watching the two combatants fight until they had forgotten about themselves. When their eyes met, a new fight erupted.

He was outnumbered two-to-one, but he was never outmanned. One of the rebels, a Prasiolite summoned a mace and tried to smash him with it. Sol rolled to the right and stabbed her in the left leg. The Prasiolite gave ground, hissing in pain before she stared up at the gleaming orange tip of the Sunstone's dagger.

Before he could plunge it down, the other rebel rushed at him, spear in hand. Sol sidestepped left, shifting his focus on his new enemy. She had a better reach over him. Her spear could get him before he could even get to her. But he didn't even _need_ to get close to her.

Sol baited her to move left before casting a wave of fire at her, leaving her dazed and scarred. As she regained her sights, she saw the black-and-orange barrel of a gun and met her end in a blazing orange light. Sol crushed her gemstone for good measure before moving on to the Prasiolite.

The green Quartz was back on her feet, though she was limping on one leg. She slowly swung her mace in a wide descending arc, missing her target and smashing the ground. Seeing how weak she was, Sol decided to end her quick, shooting her crippled leg, sending her screaming as she collapsed. The Prasiolite looked up, breathing heavily as she waited for her end.

"Sorry, but you chose the wrong side." Sol solemnly said before pulling the trigger. A puff of smoke exploded around him and dissipated a few seconds later.

He looked to where Morgan and Pearl were fighting and he could still here the _clang_ of steel meeting steel. _They're still fighting?_ He moved closer and saw the fight that unfolded.

Morgan seemed to be at an advantage over a furious and near exhausted Pearl. He had a few cuts on his arms, but they were just minor compared to the rebel's. The grin on his face was constantly mocking her. Pearl raised both her swords to attack, but the pink Beryl moved to the right, easily dodging it and kicked her down.

"Seriously, is this the best that Rose Quartz's second-in-command has to offer?" Morgan spat at the ground. He was enjoying this moment, toying with Rose Quartz's prized 'pet', picturing her as the rebel leader herself. If Morganite could buy time, he would spend all his credits just to rewind this day over and over again. "Tell me, what makes you so special that she chose _you_ out of all Gems as her second-in-command?"

"Be-because," A tear ran down her cheeks before she snapped her head forwards, eyes burning with fury. "Because she believed in me!"

Pearl attacked with a flurry of slashes. It came fast and wild, often missing Morgan by a few inches. He retaliated by bring down his hatchets on her. The pale Gem blocked it by crossing her swords, blades grinding against each other. While she blocked the attack, Pearl had failed to realize that she had left an opening for him.

Morgan pulled his hatchets, yanking her swords away from her hands. He then grabbed hold of Pearl's left shoulder and kneed her stomach, driving the air out of her. She collapsed down into the ground, coughing as she held her stomach in pain. Morgan circled around her with eyes burning of hatred.

"That's a lie!" He shouted at her face. "She just said that just so you could feel special about yourself. You think just because you could wield a sword, that makes you a better warrior than a Quartz? You're nothing but a _Pearl_!"

"Morganite, that's enough!" Sol tried to intervene but it was too late. His friend was already caught up in his emotions to be even heard.

"But you know what's the good part about this is?" Morgan asked Pearl in a sinister tone. "Once I'm done with you, Rose will have to find another Pearl to take your place."

"Noo!" Pearl suddenly tackled Morganite's leg, bringing him down to the same level as she was and grabbed one of her swords. She then stabbed him in the lower right side of his body before raising her other sword above his head. "This is for Rose!"

Morgan would have met his end if not for a blast of orange light that shot through the Pearl's chest. Her eyes were twitching as she moved her hand at the gaping hole in her chest before poofing back into her gemstone.

Sol stared blankly at the white gemstone as his hands started shaking, causing his gun to drop. _I'm sorry, Orthoclase. I had no choice_.

Morganite approached him, his hand clenching on the wound the Pearl had made. "Sol, you okay?" He waved a hand in front of his face.

Sol finally snapped out from his trance "Y-yeah, I'm okay." Then, he was hit with a sudden burst of realization. "The Sapphire! Where is she?"

"Gone," Morgan revealed with a frown, pointing at a chunk of shattered ice nearby. "She took the Ruby with her too. But on the bright side, we have Rose Quartz's second-in-command's—"

"There over here!" More voices shouted from the distance, their footsteps stomping through the forest, getting louder and louder for every passing second. By the sound of it, there were at least a dozen of them.

"Great, more of them." Morgan tried to summon his weapons, but his wound made it difficult for him to concentrate. He knelt down on the ground after he was hit by a surge of pain.

"You're in no condition to fight," Sol informed him. "And there's too many of them for me to handle alone. Our best option is a tactical retreat."

"Retreating's for cowards!"

 _Pyrite's stones, now he's talking like Janae._ "Better to live and fight another day than die today."

Morgan groaned. "By my dead Diamond, I hate it when you're right."

Sol slid one of Morgan's arms around his shoulders and lifted him up. The shouts were getting louder by now. As much as he wanted to retrieve Pearl's gemstone, there was no time. He took a small canister from Morgan's vest and threw it on the ground. It violently exploded, releasing a screen of smoke that provided them enough time to retreat into the forest without leaving trace.

* * *

Morgan sat on a rock as Sol inspected his wound. The Sunstone knew only basic medical procedures. Luckily, his wound counts as 'basic'.

Sol had been quiet for a while. Usually, that was a good thing since it means his focused on the mission. But after what had happened recently, he wasn't quite sure.

"How much… longer… is this gonna take?" He asked him as minor jolts of pain attacked him.

"Just have to make sure there's nothing left in your wound before it regenerates." There was a cold chill in his voice, like he didn't care much about his injury.

"Damn, that Pearl sure knows how to bite huh?" Morgan suddenly yelped when Sol pressed his wound. "What the heck did you that for?"

"What the heck is wrong with _you_!?" Sol countered angrily. "We had one job, and that was to bring the Sapphire back to Blue Diamond. Instead, you botched it up by engaging the Pearl, completely ignoring our main target. It would be fine if you had just finished her off there, but no, you decided to 'toy' with her until the Sapphire managed to escape under our noses."

Morgan lowered his head in shame. He had never seen Sol this angry at him before. It was like a miniature volcano suddenly exploded. "I'm… sorry." Those were the only words he could come out with. "But you don't understand…"

"Then _help_ me understand." Sol then stopped and took a seat on another rock opposite to Morgan's. "Look, I'm your friend, and friends help each other out. I can't help you if you won't help yourself."

"Alright," Morgan breathe deeply before he began. "A few decades ago before we met, I was assigned by… _the late_ Pink Diamond to serve as Rose Quartz's second-in-command. For a Beryl like myself, being a right-hand gem to a Quartz leader was considered a great honor. We fought in many battles together, had each other's backs and I provided her counsel when needed."

" _You,_ providing counsel?" Sol let out a half-suppressed laugh much to Morgan's chagrin.

"Mind you that I wasn't the same Morganite as I was now. Anyways, as years go by, we became friends, much like you and I are now. Before I was transferred to the Joint Expedition Force, she told me that she believed that I was the greatest second-in-command that ever served her." Morgan found himself frowning after he said those bitter words. "I guess _that_ was a lie seeing as how a Pearl managed to become her second-in-command. A Pearl, out of all Gems, do you know how ridiculous that sounds? She's mocking me you know. Rose is mocking me by having a house item serve her. When I find her, I'll wipe that mocking grin off her face before I rip her gemstone out."

Morgan found himself feeling more relaxed than before. "Wow, that felt good, letting these things off your chest, you know? I should've done this years ago." As he tried to stand up, the pain suddenly came back to him, forcing him to stay down. "Could you…uh, finish up with my wound?"

Sol, who was caught in Morgan's story, spurred up instantly. "Oh right, almost forgot about that."

Once he was done, Morgan's wound slowly regenerated by itself. There was still the slight feeling of pain coming from it, but it would disappear eventually. The two made an equipment check before continuing their search for the Sapphire.

By now, the rebels have increased their patrols and they were armed. The Sapphire was still out there, wandering aimlessly in the dense forest. A forest is no place for a civilian Gem to wander into, let alone an aristocrat. She had the Ruby, but given how Sol had shot her arm off, she wouldn't that much of use for her for a while. Sooner or later, those two would stumble into them or the rebels. Morgan was putting high hopes that it was the former. They stopped by a small ditch. The ground was damp. A campfire had been made here, the branches still burning of embers.

"They were here." Morgan claimed, examining the ground. "I think this is a good place to start launching the drone."

Sol agreed and opened his backpack. He pulled out a black rod and a small green orb, courtesy of the R&D Department. He tossed the orb up into the air and stretched the black rod, revealing a holographic screen.

The orb hovered around, scanning the area for the whereabouts of their targets. A few minutes later, it started making a low beeping noise, indicating it has found something. Sol flicked his fingers across the orange neon screen, his eyes widened upon seeing the results.

"The orb picked up some heat signatures just a few meters from here. It's coming from something small."

"The Ruby," Morgan surmised. "And when there's her…"

"There's the Sapphire." Sol finished his sentence, grinning. He collapsed the screen back into its cylindrical form and called the orb back before they head off.

The forest was filled with all sorts of noises. Howls, chirps and hoots; all of them weren't as imposing as the footsteps of Gems that patrolled the dense wooded area. Their heavy stomps quickly silenced the rest when they approached.

Morgan and Sol hid behind the trees, waiting for the patrol to pass through. Three gems of different size and color walked through the dark woods, their gemstones shone beams of light that cut through the darkness. Morgan could hear them talking about something, but their voices were too soft for him to get the full story.

"…find those intruders… and the Ruby and Sapphire…" The lead Gem said.

"I hear Pearl got injured…" A second voice added. This one was coarse and slightly louder than the first's. "She's back at base, recovering…"

"Just wait… my hands of those…" The third Gem tried to say something but by the time she spoke, her voice was already a whisper as the patrol disappeared into the black forested night.

Morgan and Sol emerged out from their cover, slowly watching the beams of light fade away. They made note of the mentioning of a 'base' thanks to the patrol. It wasn't enough information but at least they knew that the rebel's base was near… and the Pearl somehow survived. _I should've killed her there and then._ Morgan cursed himself as he touched his healed wound, a 'gift' from the defective house item. _I'll make sure to return it to her if I ever find her again._

After more evading and trekking, they finally reached their objective but there was no sign of the Ruby or the Sapphire. "Nothing," Sol sighed. "But there's no way they could've disappeared that quick. Maybe I should—" He was suddenly cut off by a raise of a hand from Morgan who had a suspicious look on his face. "Something wrong, Morgan?"

"How long would it take for a Ruby to regenerate an arm?" He asked him.

"Around 4 hours, if they're well rested." Sol answered before he retaliated with his own question. "Why are you asking me this?"

"If you were the Ruby, you would definitely try and find some place to hide while you recover right?"

"Right…" Sol quickly caught on with what Morgan was trying to imply. They slowly readied their weapons and began searching.

 _There still here… but where?_ Morgan wondered as his eyes surveyed the area. His ears suddenly picked up movement from the trees and he reacted by throwing a hatchet at one of them.

"Ahh!" A voice shouted. It was deep, very different than the Ruby's.

"Show yourself or we'll burn you out!" Morgan declared.

"Do we really have to burn them out?" Sol whispered to him.

"Not really. I just want to see if they would fall for it or not."

A figure slowly emerged from the shadowy trees and revealed herself. It was Gem unlike anything the two had ever seen. Her 'dress' was a messy color of pink and blue along with her puffy cube-shaped head. She had three eyes, which was quite an uncommon feature for any Gem to have.

"Don't hurt u—me!" The Gem pleaded.

"She's not our target, Morgan." Sol remarked, slightly lowering his revolver. But the Beryl wasn't swayed by the notion. There was something odd about the Gem. Her eyes were of different colors, each one of them and when she revealed herself, her hands were clutched together… as if she was hiding something.

"Show me your hands." Morgan ordered, frightening the Gem. "I said show me your hands!"

"Do as he says, for your _own_ safety." Sol urged.

The Gem reluctantly opened her hands, showing a gemstone on each of them. Morgan was puzzled at the reveal but when he turned to Sol, he had that look of disbelief in his face. "The mixed fusion…" He heard him mutter. "Morgan, this Gem is actually a _fusion_! It's the Ruby and Sapphire."

"What!?" Before he could say anything else, Morgan turned around and saw the _fusion_ escaping. _Great, now we're chasing a fusion!?_

They chased after the fusion. Despite her appearance, she moved fast, but they were gaining. Sol fired a shot at a tree in front of her. It came toppling down, blocking the fusion's path but she jumped across.

"You're making this hard on yourself!" Morgan called out before he threw his hatchets at two more trees. They tumbled down, trapping her. He had no idea what would happen if they attempted to poof her. This wasn't a normal fusion, it was a _mixed_ fusion. It was something out of the ordinary, so they had to be careful. "Just give up, you have nowhere to go."

"Please no!" The fusion pleaded as she slowly backed herself against the fallen trees. "Don't take us back to Cloud Arena."

"Whatever beef you had with Blue Diamond is not my problem. I'm just doing my job." He then re-summoned his hatchets and said; "Now, either you come with us peaceful, or are we going have to settle this like 'uncivilized' Gems?"

"Ugh, Morganite..." Sol abruptly interrupted them. "I don't think we're the only ones here."

Morgan saw him slowly pointing his finger at the bushes. Realizing that the rebels have surrounded them, they quickly change positions, putting their backs against each other. Sol kept watch on the bushes to see how many of them were there while Morgan still had his eyes and axes on the fusion.

"I say around six of them, probably" Sol estimated, his voice lowered to a whisper. "Two are Quartzes."

"How can you tell?"

"Because I could see their beefy muscles sticking out like a sore thumb."

"So we got two Quartzes and four non-Quartz Gems." Morgan chuckled. "Looks like the odds are against us once again."

"As always," Sol replied.

The forest went silent as the two waited to see who would make the first move. The fusion just stood there, unable to move because of Morgan's deadlock eyes fixated on her. One wrong step and she would be turned to a puff of smoke. The leaves sighed when a breeze of wind passed through. Then, it began.

The two Quartzes leaped out from the bushes, pulling out their weapons. One had a maul while another had a greatsword. Both of them were wearing breastplates. They charged at the two, bringing out their warcries. Sol charged a fireball on his left hand and threw it at the Quartzes. It exploded in a blinding light. Morgan switched positions with the Sunstone and attacked the two stunned Gems. The fusion still couldn't able to move as Sol's revolver was aimed at her.

Morgan relentlessly attacked the Quartzes, giving them no time to recover. _Hit hard and fast._ He told himself. _Never show mercy for the enemy will give none._ Despite the two towering above him, he moved below them, using his speed to outmatch their brute strength. He hacked away at the maul-wielding Quartz's legs, bringing her down to his level. Morgan climbed up her back and jumped down, plunging his hatchets into the back of her head.

Then, the bushes came alive with arrows. Instead of finding cover, Morgan charged at the last Quartz who raised her greatsword above her head. The blade came down but the pink Beryl slide underneath her legs, slashing them as he passed through. He then danced around the Quartz, infuriating her even more as she tried to slice him. The situation was made even more entertaining as arrows flew pass their heads, some hit the Quartz by the shoulders and arms while a few flinched off her breastplate.

Morgan could do this all day, but he can't. _I mustn't make the same mistake again._ As the great cleaving blade came down at him once again, he jumped back, paying attention to the arrows that came at him as he did. The Quartz tried to pull her greatsword out from the ground but Morgan used it as a platform to rush at the rebel and kicked her in the face. He then sank his hatchets into the rebel's collar, sending both of them crashing down. As the Quartz poofed, Morgan grabbed her discarded armor and used it as a shield to block the incoming arrows.

"A little _help_ here would be nice!" He shouted at Sol as the arrows deflected off the heavy thick breastplate.

The Sunstone threw a fireball at the bushes with his eyes still fixated on the captured fusion. It exploded, lighting the bushes on fire as the archers ran out, screaming in pain as the flames engulfed their bodies. Morgan quickened their end with his hatchets, but it wasn't over yet.

"You said there were six of them."

"I did say _probably_."

" _Probably_?"

"Well, what matters is that we have the—" Sol was interrupted by the fusion giggling. "Is there something funny?" He asked her in an annoyed tone.

The fusion only smirked. "You'll see…"

Suddenly, two canisters popped out from nowhere and filled the whole area in smoke. The two Homeworld soldiers went tensed when they saw two shadowy figures appeared in front of them. They were Beryls. One was an Aquamarine while the other one was an Emerald.

"Cousins of yours?" Sol asked whimsically.

"Hardly," Morgan curled his lips before engaging the two Beryls. The Emerald summoned a double-edge sword and their blades met. They exchanged blows. Sparks flew from their blades as they moved back and forth. Morgan's aggressive fighting style put the Emerald under constant pressure, forcing her to stay on the defensive.

He glanced to his right and saw Sol effortlessly dodging the Aquamarine's attacks. Her weapon was a three-pronged spear but it was proven useless against the Sunstone's agility. He tried to look for the fusion, but the smokescreen was too thick. _Something's wrong…_ Morgan thought. Eventually, he shifted his focus back to the Emerald when he saw her lunging at him. He managed to parry the attack and countered by slamming his forearm at her face. "Sol, there's something wrong here!"

"You don't say?" The Sunstone replied as he drove his dagger into the Aquamarine's gemstone which was embedded on her belly. The smokescreen soon dissipated with the fusion gone.

"Dammit, we've lost her again!" Morgan was fuming with frustration. _How hard is it just to capture a damn Sapphire!?_

Sol could only sigh. "I'll go deploy the drone."

"No need to," Morgan dismissed. He looked at the downed Emerald and grinned. "I have a better idea."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hurray! Looks like this story has now reached 1000 views. Thanks for those who read and are currently reading this story.**

 **So it seems I had to extend the 'Search for Sapphire Arc' by two more chapters. There was a lot of combat scenes in here and I tried to put a bit of detail in every one of them. Note that in my stories, Gem take much more longer time to regenerate their wounds and more longer if they lose their limbs.**

 **Anyways, reviews are always welcome since I wanna know if you're liking this story so far.**


	10. Lightning Strikes!

**Chapter 9: Lightning Strikes!**

Rose restlessly walked back and forth, only to stop periodically for a few seconds to glance at the white oval gemstone lying on her table. She made sure that the gemstone had no signs of cracks. If they were, she would heal them using her tears.

 _Oh Pearl, why did I let you go look for them?_ It wasn't the first time her dear friend had risked her life in the line of battle. Sometimes, she fought valiantly and sometimes, she fought blindly. Rose didn't know if this one counts as valiant or blind. When the soldiers returned with her gemstone, she immediately prioritised her friend's well-being.

She had sent patrols to go look for the Ruby and Sapphire, fearing for their safety. One of the soldiers told her that when they found Pearl's gemstone, the Gems assigned to her were both shattered. This worried her since Homeworld had never penetrated this deep into their perimeters before, let alone undetected by Bloodstone's outer patrols.

Then, she heard a shimmering sound coming from behind her. Rose turned around and saw Pearl's gemstone floating as it was surrounded in a body of light. It started taking shaped until it materialized into the tall slender Gem that is her friend.

Pearl dropped to the ground, still woozy from the recovery. She retained the same appearance she had before but there were bruises on her arms and legs because she had quickened her reformation.

Rose was relieved and upset at the same time. "Pearl, you know you shouldn't speed up your recovery."

"I'm sorry, Rose." Pearl said as she slowly rose up. "But I can't just stay in my gemstone and do nothing while you weep for me."

Rose was touched. She helped her up. Her bruises looked like she was beaten by her master. It gave her a bitter reminder on why she rebelled against her leaders. _All Gems should be free._ That was her rallying call that gathered her army. She was taught by Pink Diamond that love can inspire people, and Rosean Gems were known for their love and compassion. She was no different. Even today, she still mourns for her Diamond's death. She was the reason this rebellion even started. Her belief was what guided her.

"Rose…" Pearl said nervously. "I have a question to ask."

"Sure, what is it, Pearl?" Rose replied. She was used with her asking questions. It was mostly about the Earth or why life here was so important.

"Do you believe… that I can be your second-in-command?"

The question caught her off guard. Instead of stepping back and recoiling from the surprise, Rose moved closer to Pearl and crouched down, making sure she was at the same level as her. "Of course I believe in you, Pearl. Why would you ask such a question like that?"

Pearl looked at her sweet face, feeling slightly happy and then shook away. "It's nothing, Rose. I was just asking. That's all."

Rose knew her too well to know that she was hiding something from her. She made her look at her and said, "Pearl," Her deadeye stare slightly frightened the pale slender Gem. "What happened back at the forest?"

"I-I… There was this Gem. He told me—"

"He?"

Pearl nodded. "Yes, the Gem took on a male form. He told me that you lied when you told me that you believed that I can be your second-in-command. Then…, he tried to kill me."

Deep inside, Rose could feel the anger boiling inside of her, but her Rosean demeanor kept it cooled. Instead, she hugged her friend. Pearl's thin body was slowly cushioned by Rose's plump and soft arms. To her, it felt like she was getting hug by a huge pillow monster.

"Those are just lies, Pearl." Rose said to her in soft and motherly tone. "Don't ever listen to what those Homeworlders say about you." She then released her from her embrace. Pearl wiped a tear away before Rose continued. "Now, any chance you know what that Gem was?"

Pearl took a moment to remember before saying, "I think he was a—"

"Rose Quartz!" A soldier suddenly barged in, looking exhausted. "The patrols… they found Ruby and Sapphire!"

* * *

Rose was never more happy to see her small red and blue friends. In all that delight, she quickly hugged the two. Then, Ruby yelped, causing her to release them.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did my hug hurt you?" Rose asked.

"No, ma'am." Ruby assured her. "It's just my right arm. It just recently got shot and regenerated."

"Oh dear."

"But it's okay. Rubies are designed to be very resilient. To us, it's just a flesh wound." She patted her arm to prove it, but winced in pain. "Well, kinda."

"There were two Homeworld soldiers chasing after us." Sapphire said. "They destroyed the physical forms of my escorts, two more Gems and…" She looked at Pearl and was surprised by her quick recovery (even though she didn't show it). "Pearl."

Rose could feel the anger seething through Pearl. She laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down before turning to Sapphire and asked, "Do they know about our base?"

Sapphire shook her head. "I can't say. When we fused, there was a possibility… but the chances were… slim."

"You two fused? Again?" Pearl was surprised.

"Yeah, we had to get away from those Homeworlders." Ruby said. "We nearly slipped away, but they knew it was us. Thank goodness for this Gem over here." She motioned her hand to the Gem beside them, a Dravite.

"Thank you for finding and bringing them back here." Rose thanked her.

"I was just doing my job, ma'am." The Dravite said. She had a sullen look on her face. "But two of my friends risked their lives to distract those Homeworlders while I brought these two back."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Despite all her optimism, Rose was deeply worried. Whoever those two Homeworlders were, they were dangerous. They manage to defeat Sapphire's escorts, Pearl and four more Gems. Blue Diamond wasted no expenses to retrieve Sapphire. She wanted her back and Rose knew why.

Before she could rally a search party to look for the Dravite's two friends, another guard approached her.

"Rose, an Emerald just approached our perimeter." The guard said. "She says she's one of us."

"Bring her inside."

The Emerald was brought in and placed in the center of the field. Rose, Pearl, Ruby and Sapphire felt pity for her condition. She was in rough shape and was shaking, possibly from surviving the Homeworlders' attacks. When asked, Dravite confirmed that it was one of her friends.

"How did you manage to escape?" Pearl asked her.

"I crawled away while th-they… finished off Aquamarine."

A sudden silence descended on the group. Rose could only give pity to Dravite who had lost a friend. She wasn't the only one who lost someone close to her. Many had, but they still fight to ensure that their sacrifices would not go in vain.

"Oh no," Sapphire's terrified expression broke the silence. They looked at her, worried and confused.

"What's the matter, Sapphire?" Rose asked.

"Homeworld… They found us."

A deafening boom erupted above the skies before dozens of dropships emerged. The whole base went under full alert. Gems scatter, trying to find their equipment while some who had ranged weapons tried to fight back.

"H-How?" Pearl asked out loud. "How could they know where we were?" She turned to Rose who was staring worryingly at the dropship-filled sky.

"B-because I brought them here," Emerald hesitantly revealed to them.

Dravite felt like she was hit by a brick at her friend's sudden betrayal. In a sudden burst of anger, Dravite grabbed the green Gem by the collar. "Why!?" She asked, "Why did you bring them here?"

"I'm sorry. I was forced to by—" Before Emerald could finish answering, a cracking sound pierced through the air. Rose placed a hand on her mouth to conceal her gasp as she saw a large gaping hole that penetrated through Dravite and Emerald's body. Their physical forms crumbled.

* * *

"Targets down." Sol looked down at the scope of his railgun, watching the rebels scatter at the sight of the Lightning Division's dropships. They lay prone on a small hill, 200 meters away from the rebel base. Morganite's plan to use the Emerald to pinpoint the rebel base worked.

"2 for 1. Nice." Morganite complimented Sol's shot by patting him in the back.

" _Thunderfist, this is Helios, do you copy?_ " Sol contacted the Gem in charge of the attack.

" _Loud and clear, Helios._ _Nice work on locating the rebel base. We'll take it from here._ "

" _Copy that. Helios out._ "

The two stood up and trekked down the hill, making their way towards the enemy base. They brandished their weapons and came out from the forest like a pack of wild beasts. Sol loaded a new round into his railgun and fired it at a panicking rebel. He opened the latch, loaded another round and fired it at another rebel before opening the latch, repeating the process again. As he was busy picking off the far away rebels, Morgan hacked away at every rebel he saw. Not long after, the dropships started dropping Homeworld Citrines into the enemy base. Some summoned their weapons and crash down onto the rebels, finishing them off with a single hit from their fists or heavy weapons.

"Oh look, it's raining Quartzes." Morgan pointed at the sky after he killed a rebel.

"Good thing they're on our side." Sol added. They were then interrupted by a rebel charging at them. She was killed when a bright yellow object crashed into her, immediately shattering her. The yellow object revealed itself to be none other than Thunderfist himself.

"Well, if it isn't the Beryl mercenary and the Feldspar." said the Citrine. The commander of the Lightning Division was a headstrong and fearless Quartz Gem. Wearing a scaled armor of hammered bronze and mail, he leads his soldiers with his mighty maul and his exceptional 'shock' tactics. "Now what are you two waiting for? We have a battle to win here!"

"Thunderfist, remember our priority." Sol reminded him. "If you see the Sapphire or a three-eyed red-and-pink Gem, capture it."

The three assaulted the enemy's base, tearing through rebels and gathering the rest of the Citrines. The 3rd YD Quartz Division was called the 'Lightning Division' for a reason. They were occasionally deployed as shock troopers, charging at the enemy head-on with the intent of destroying them before they were able to mount a proper defense. They were numerous, fast and resilient. But most of all, they were Quartzes.

Sol shot a rebel coming at him with his railgun before summoning his dagger and jabbed it at another rebel. War was chaotic thing to be in, he knew that. Everywhere there were Gems fighting and dying, buildings being destroyed and burned. In all this commotion, it was hard to tell a Homeworlder from a rebel except for the diamonds on their armor.

The ground seemed to burst with lightning every time the Citrines attacked. They were always like that. These yellow variant of Quartzes were created with the ability to generate electricity through their bodies. But with proper training, they were able to channel it through their weapons.

Thunderfist brought his maul down onto the ground, releasing a burst of electricity that poofed three rebels. Morganite was tackled down, blocking a battleaxe aimed at his face with his hatchets. He kicked his attacker away and plunged his hatchet at its neck. The rebels lacked discipline and training. They were no match against an army of well-trained and well-equipped Quartzes. Sol jumped over a wounded Gem and ignited a couple of rebels with a flick of his hands. They screamed and shrieked before the Citrines ended their agony.

As the Lightning Division pushed forward, they encounter a set of improvised barricades. It was crudely made, likely from Earthen material. Rough walls no thicker than 2 inches were fortified by jagged wooden spikes. Behind them were two dozen rebels, armed and ready for them. But their faces betrayed their courage. They were cowering in fear, yet the refuse to admit it. At the distance was a pink flag bearing a rose entwined by thorns. Sol knew what that flag meant. _She's here._ He thought. A small smile crept up his face. _The leader of the rebels is here._

"Citrines, execute Rolling Thunder formation!" Upon Thunderfist's command, the Citrines' bodies began radiating with electricity before they charged through the barricades, smashing everything that stands in their way. The ground exploded with tremendous shock as clouds of white smoke rose up into the sky. The Lightning Division's tactics were simple yet effective: _Strike fast and strike hard_.

The stunned rebels weren't able to fully recover before a second wave was unleashed. It was a brutal massacre with sparks and gem shards flying around. By the time Sol, Morganite and Thunderfist walked through the now-destroyed barricades, there were only two surviving rebels. One of them made a futile attempt on attacking the three but was pummeled to the ground by a Citrine soldier. The other rebel –knowing that resistance would be her demise– surrendered.

The clamor of battle still roared throughout the base and outside of it. The rebels tried to escape through the forest, but Thunderfist's soldiers hunted them down, one Gem at a time. With most of the base's facilities secured, Sol and Morganite headed towards where Rose Quartz's flag stood flapping. Below the flag was a lilac-canvased tent.

"She was here…" Morganite remarked disdainfully as he beamed at the pink flag.

Inside of the tent was a mess. Rose Quartz must have been in a hurry to retreat. So much that she had forgotten to take the map that was lying on a table. Sol swiped a finger on the partially-rolled map and found himself staring at the largest discovery the Homeworld Army had uncovered.

"We have successfully taken over their base!" Thunderfist proudly declared as he entered the tent with two Citrines beside him. He took a moment to inspect the interior of the tent before setting his yellow eyes on Sol. "What do you have there?"

"Something that would _greatly_ benefit our cause." Sol said, smiling. He waved at Thunderfist to come forward and showed him the map. The Quartz's eyes widened in disbelief once he took a closer look at the map. First, Thunderfist muttered in a very low tone as his right index finger trailed the _X's_ that dotted across the map. A few seconds later, he slowly chuckled before erupting in hearty laughter.

"You two should deserve a reward for this." He said.

 _Yes, speaking of rewards…_ "I trust you managed to find the Sapphire?"

Thunderfist shook his head, a clear indication that the target was gone along with the other high priority targets on Homeworld's list. Sol could hear Morganite grunting over the frustration of losing the Sapphire for the third time. For him, losing a target meant an overdue on his pay.

Without saying a word, Sol walked towards a stool and sat on it, releasing a breath of exhaustion. His muscles were sore from the fighting and his equipment was starting to weigh down on him. _I think Blue Diamond may need to drop the 'capture' order and warrant a 'kill' order._ He thought, holding a growl under his throat. _Because I'm done playing hide-and-seek with her._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Sorry for the long update. I've been a bit busy lately. Currently I'm accepting ideas for future chapters (this doesn't mean the next chapter is based on your ideas but it may include some) but _NO_ OC's. So please share your ideas in the comments.**

 **Thunderfist is actually a really interesting character. Think of him as a Nord from TES who enjoys mead, fighting and a sense of honor (I'll explain more on the 'honor' part later).**


	11. Diamonds

**Chapter 10: Diamonds**

In her office room, White Diamond scrolled down her desktop screen, looking through the various reports sent by the local administrators of Elyssia. On her right hand, she was holding a tabloid with the headlines saying ' _Rebel Cell Uncovered in Talkus._ ' Her table was a mess. The holographic screen that took up most of the table's surface area glowed of dim white as multiple screens overlapped it. At the top right corner were four digital stamps, each containing the seals of the Diamonds and the Great Diamond Authority.

The door to her office slid open. Entering it was her own Pearl, pushing a cart of rather large bottles. It rolled through the spotless marble floor until it stopped near the matriarch's desk. "Here are the caffeine shots you've requested, my Diamond." The servant said. "Is there anything else I could be of service?"

"That would be all, Pearl. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off."

"S-Seriously!?" White Pearl blurted out in surprise before being met with her mistress's sudden glare. "I-I mean… thank you, my Diamond." She made the diamond gesture with her arms and bowed.

White Diamond chuckled quietly as she watched her servant leave in joyous haste. _Works every time._ Silence filled her room once again with her only companions being her work, a cart full of caffeine shots to keep her awake and the whirring sound of the air vents bringing in cool air.

For three years she had been running all four realms of Elyssia from the Diamond Spire in Neo Adamas while her sisters were busy with the colonization of Earth, and the rebellion did not help in shortening the process.

Yellow Diamond was rearranging her battleplans after one of her commanders had made a startling discovery. Meanwhile, Blue Diamond was preparing to return to Elyssia in a rather angry mood after the failed assassination attempt on her life at Cloud Arena. Apparently, the assassination attempt wasn't the only thing that happened at the floating Gem structure.

She heard rumors that one of Blue Diamond's court member had fused with a different type of Gem. Ironically, that court member was one of the diplomats sent to end the rebellion on Earth. In Homeworld's culture, fusion was used as a tool of combat or construction, anything else was considered a taboo. There were some cases about mixed fusions in the past, but those were caused by Gems of the same group – a Citrine and an Amethyst for example – and were given permission to do so. Even though the Sapphire and the Ruby bodyguard she had fused with were part of the Corundum group, the Caerulean social structure was more class-based than group-based. Coupled by the fact that the fusion was unauthorized, it was no wonder it angered Blue Diamond to the point that she had employed Sol to capture them.

 _I told him to the follow my Diamond sisters' orders to gain their trust. But I never knew he would slowly drag himself into the conflict._ But White Diamond knew better than to trust her thoughts. The Sunstone did have a penchant for adventure ever since his days in the Expeditionary Force, often persuading his senior officers to send him on patrols or missions, much to their annoyance. So she knew that he would take the job even if he had a choice to refuse it. _That gem of a Feldspar. Sometimes he's too good for his own job._ She let out a small chuckle as she pressed the seal of the Great Diamond Authority on the holographic screen, creating a digital imprint on an arrest warrant for a Gem suspected of possible treason. It was just one of many that she had to sign.

Once she was finished with her work, White Diamond went to the Marble Garden a couple of floors below her office. As the name implies, the garden was a semi-circular balcony thirty feet across with marble pillars reaching up eighteen feet high, enough to accommodate a Diamond's standard height. It had a great view of the southern section of Neo Adamas and its surroundings, completely clear of obstructions such as the spires and building complexes that dotted around the city. The Sun was slowly sinking at the horizon, blue-grey sky consuming the last streaks of sunlight.

The areas that weren't covered in marble flooring had plants gathered from various planets and planted using a specialized compound that allows alien plant life to adapt to Homeworld's soil. They ranged from the blooming crystal flowers of Topkor to the palm trees of Alkun. A large tree stood at the center. Small green wisps flew around its thick darkened trunk. Its leaves were dark green, like wet algae, strips of moss dangled over its branches, giving the tree an ancient and old appearance.

"It's amazing how so much life could exist in such a small area." A voice announced itself.

The Gem revealed herself from amongst the bushes and started moving closer to the white matriarch. Her skin was azure blue and face smooth and fair. Her hair was styled in the shape of small swirls and fastened with a diamond brooch. She wore a sleeveless dress that was two-toned blue and decorated with Caerulean embroidery. Her marquise-shaped gemstone was embedded on her waist, resembling an eye.

"Lady Azurite," White Diamond said, half-surprised and half-suspicious at her presence. "You should know that you are required to make a _formal_ announcement every time you greet a Diamond."

"Forgive me, Your Grace. But my job sometimes requires me to make very…'sudden' appearances." Her voice was sweet and innocent like a Pearl's, but that is just a façade the Spymistress of Homeworld wears in public.

Despite being a Gem, Lady Azurite holds no allegiance to any of the Diamonds. Her identity was stripped away from her even before she could be given one. With no allegiance or facets or cuts, she was considered an unidentified Gem (UnGem), unbound by the laws of Homeworld and treated as an outcast. But that didn't stop the Great Diamond Authority from recruiting her as their spymistress, offering her a chance to serve the community and a residence in the Diamond Spire in exchange for her services to which the blue Gem humbly accepted. Her skills in gathering intelligence were as mysterious as the many disguises she wore.

"Ah yes, your job. I assume _that_ is the reason why you're here?"

Azurite nodded. "There has been some trouble in the Western Realm. A gang of Beryls have been harassing the Rosean Gems settling in Ironport for several rotations now. They are threatening them with death if they do not leave their land."

White Diamond wasn't surprised. The Rosean and Flavensi Gems were always at odds with each other. The death of Pink Diamond and the news of the rebellion on Earth only cemented that enmity. Harassment and death threats have become more common and the chances of being shattered by the public was at an all-time high. "Have guards investigate the case and add more Gems to protect the Rosean Gems in Ironport." She paused for a moment before continuing. "On second thought, have guards from my realm do the assignments."

"May I ask why, Your Grace?" Azurite asked.

"I don't trust the Flavensi authorities when it comes to cases like this. Some of them have friends still fighting on Earth."

"Understandable, Your Grace. A shame that such prejudice exist in this world, all because of the actions of a once respected general."

"She's not that respectable after what happened at the Omega Kindergarten." White Diamond replied bitterly. Rose Quartz always believed herself to be in the right. But Omega Kindergarten proved otherwise.

"Since we are on the subject of the Quartz traitor, my spies tell me that a few more Gems have joined her _conglomerate_ of commanders. One of them is a Garnet."

 _Look at you using fancy words._ "What type of Garnet?" There were many Garnets White Diamond knew of. Pyropes, Rhodolites, Almandines, the Grossular and Andradite sub-groups. So many that it could rival the Quartz group in terms of variety. Most were specialized in craftsmanship, but only a few in the group were considered fighters.

"It just calls itself Garnet." Azurite revealed. "And if the reports are correct, they say that _it_ can see into the future."

"I'm surprised that this 'Garnet' hasn't sniffed out your spies yet."

The spymistress did not fluster at the jest. "They are just premonitions, Your Grace. The Garnet can spend one rotation trying to search for my spies, only to meet with a thousand possibilities. Though it is not the Garnet we have to worry about. Have you heard about the Felis Sisters?"

White Diamond rolled her eyes and sighed. "They joined the rebels haven't they?" The spymistress confirmed with a casual nod. _Now this can't be good._

The Felis Sisters were two former Caerulean nobles hailing from the Brimstone Isles in the Eastern Realm. They were known for their business-savvy ways and distinguishable cat-like eyes. Cat's Eye Chrysoberyl was the 'older' sister, humble and courteous on the outside, but very cunning and ruthless when it comes to the trade business. The younger Cat's Eye Aquamarine lacked the manipulative demeanor of her older sister but she makes it up for her seductive looks and _persuasive_ words. Rumors say she has _certain ways_ to influence people's businesses.

When their wealth and power rivaled the local lords and ladies, they attempted to overthrow House Benito – who ruled the region – using an army of mercenaries and privately-owned Quartzes. However, Lord Benitoite knew of the attempt rotations before and was able to stop the uprising with the help of the other Great Houses whose members were also victims to the Cat's Eyes' deceit and scams. Their army was smashed and shattered, but the Felis Sisters escaped Elyssia and into the great unknown, carrying a portion of their wealth with them.

"The Felis Sisters are supplying the rebels with swords, shields, armors, arbalests and a few cannons and field guns," said Azurite. "Enough to field a small-sized battalion."

"Clearly they're not doing this for free." White Diamond suspected. "They're hoping for something in return." _As well as the other mercenaries, smugglers and shady benefactors that swore their 'loyalty' to Rose Quartz._ The Felis Sisters always had an eye for money. And for them, Earth seemed like a jackpot waiting to crack open. And that was quite _literal_. "My guess is they want the Kindergartens."

"The Kindergartens?" The spymistress hummed tunefully at the thought. "But what would Rose Quartz think of that?"

"Rose Quartz _barely_ knows her army. A third of them are made of scoundrels, fugitives and other lawless belligerents who would turn their backs away if the fighting goes south," _Or at least that's what Yellow Diamond says._ "I wouldn't be surprised that the Felis Sisters would be using the Kindergartens behind her back. Quartzes today seem to be of high value in the black market."

"They say the most dangerous enemy often wears the mask of an ally." Azurite said with a sly smile.

"Wise words… coming from a master of disguises such as yourself. I wonder, Azurite. How is a Gem like you manage to gain such skills despite being an outcast?" White Diamond took a moment to correct herself. "I'm sorry, _former_ outcast."

The blue Gem wasn't taken the slightest. "Through experience, Your Grace." She looked up and stared at the blue-orange sky, her face impassive. "It is a cruel and harsh world out there. The things I saw and did would turn even the most hardened Onyx white as a Milky Quartz. But now those days are over for I am grateful that the Authority has reaccepted me into Homeworld."

"And the Authority is grateful to have you in our community. Your services have ensured order, stability and above all, peace throughout the four realms of Ellysia and the inner colonies. Now is there any more news?" Azurite shook her head in response. "Good, because I have a favor to ask of you."

The spymistress raised an eyebrow. "What kind of favor?"

"I want you to keep an eye out on a certain Gem here in Elyssia. A Feldspar to be exact."

* * *

Her sword crackled like lightning with each stroke from the whetstone. She always preferred to keep her sword sharp and clean after a battle. ' _A sharp sword has more uses than a dull one._ ' They always said. The same words could also be applied to Gems.

Yellow Diamond was still wearing her armor, sloped golden breastplate that resembled the facets of a gemstone. Her own gemstone shined a dim yellow against the fires of the brazier in her room. Her gauntlets and greaves were shaped like diamonds, carved with fine intricate swirls.

She studied the gleaming yellow blade, eyes trailing the edges. She always pictured Rose Quartz's terrified face in there, begging for mercy before meeting her end with a quick sword thrust through her gemstone. She let herself enjoy this small sense of satisfaction before she was interrupted by a muffled voice and a knock coming from her door.

"My Diamond," the voice said, soft as a coarse whisper. "Permission to enter your room?"

"Permission granted." With a snap of a finger, the door opened, revealing General Janae clad from chest to heel in armor.

The Jasper wore a much more decorated version of the standard Quartz crystalline armor. Strips of orange cloth ran down from her waist to her thigh. Her legs and upper torso were covered in crystals, shaped and carved to bear the diamond symbols and patterns. Her pauldrons had the emblem of the Great Diamond Authority stamped onto them. "My Diamond," She began. "We've found the fort's captain."

"Alive I presumed?" said Yellow Diamond.

"She put up a fight, but it was nothing the soldiers couldn't handle."

She stopped sharpening her sword and place it on the pedestal in front of her. "Take me to her."

The moment they stepped out of her pocket dimensional tent, it felt like they were in an entirely different place. Rows of tents stretched out as far as the eye could see. The flag of the Great Diamond Authority flew above the canopies, along with yellow banners depicting a black diamond with four swords crossed behind it – the insignia of the 1st YD 'Adamant' Division.

Spessartites were busy sharpening blades and mending armors at the quartermaster's tent. The soldiers were sitting by their campfires, laughing and telling old war tales, but they immediately fell silent when Yellow Diamond passed by, giving her a quick bow of their heads as a sign of respect.

Being twice the height of a Quartz, it wasn't that hard for Gems to start noticing her. At the distance were the smoking ruins of a fort. Greywatch they had named it on the map and it seemed like a fitting name. It was built near the slopes of a mountain surrounded by hills and trees and a lake in the north-west. But its location didn't quite help when it comes to an army led by none other than the yellow matriarch herself and supported by one of her most trusted commanders.

Despite her commanders concern over her safety, Yellow Diamond wasn't going to sit back in Firebase Sard and watch her soldiers seize the opportunity they had long waited. She _needed_ to show the rebels that the Diamonds were still a force to be reckoned with. "I will not let those traitors take me as a coward because of Cloud Arena!" She had told them. The incident in Cloud Arena gave the rebels a boost of morale, proving that the Diamonds weren't as safe as they thought they would be. But she intends on changing that view. _The next time they mock us again, I'll give them another Greywatch._

To house prisoners, the Homeworld Army use spider pods. They were basically large gem bubbles fitted inside rugged but durable spherical metal frames. The lower half had four mechanical spider legs that fold upwards when not in use.

Two Citrines guarded eighteen spider pods, arranged in columns of four. Most were filled with gemstones waiting to be interrogated before being sent to the executioner's block. Often times, there would be Homeworld gemstones thrown into the mix, leading to confusion and delay in the proceedings. It soon became mandatory for commanders to prepare a list to ensure all their soldiers were accounted for.

The guards let them through. The captured captain was inside the second pod on the third column, slumping down against the green-tinted walls of her confinement.

Yellow Diamond took a moment to study the Gem, casting her shadow over her to make her presence known. The captive did look like someone who could take command of a garrison. But that was before General Janae took her to the _real_ captain on the pod beside her. And much to her surprise, it was a Spodumene.

The pale yellow Gem looked up at the towering leader, her face filled with fear. Yellow Diamond however, looked at her in disbelief, though she did not show it in her cold hard glare. She turned to General Janae, expressionless then back to the Spodumene then back to the general again and said, "Is this some kind of joke, General? Because I don't have patience for jokes."

"No, my Diamond," Janae admitted sincerely. "This _is_ the fort's captain."

 _Somehow I find that hard to believe._ She turned back to the Spodumene, still giving her the cold hard glare. "So, you're the one who commanded the garrison of 800 rebel Gems in Greywatch?"

"Y-yes…" The pale yellow Gem stuttered.

General Janae slammed a gauntleted hand at the surface of the spider pod. "You'll address Yellow Diamond as 'my Diamond', or 'Your Grace'."

The Spodumene suddenly snapped and said, "I don't take orders from you! And Yellow Diamond is not my leader, Rose Quartz is!" The fear she had was replaced with angry and ferocity that was comparable to a hot-headed Ruby.

The Jasper took a step back from the pod, seemingly startled.

"Are you _afraid_ of a Spodumene, General?" Yellow Diamond asked after she took notice.

"No, my Diamond. I'm just… startled at the captive's sudden change in personality. Could it be that she's…"

"Defective? _Clearly_..." Yellow Diamond scowled. She could have dealt with the fact that the fort's captain was a builder, but a _defective_ one felt like a slight to her reputation as a battle commander. "General, have her sent to _them_."

"You mean the _Ticklers_? Shouldn't we try a diffe—" The yellow matriarch shot a look at her, causing the general to flinch and close her mouth. "I'll have them prepared, my Diamond."

"Ticklers?" The Spodumene laughed as General Janae left. "What are going to do? Tickle me into submission?"

Yellow Diamond wasn't amused nor did she even smile at the thought of the interrogation the captive Gem was about to go through. "Laugh all you like, builder. For soon you'll be laughing out the information I need to crush your petty rebellion."

Back in her tent, she called for Yellow Pearl to help her unfasten her armor. The servant wore a yellow tunic under a hammered bronze cuirass instead of her usual elegant bodysuit. Yellow Diamond had ordered her to wear that form as it felt ludicrous, even for a Pearl to wear a dress in the middle of a warzone. Her hands fiddled through the large straps and golden buckles that were as big as her hands. They move through them with such ease as if it were air. When it came to removing her armor, two Quartzes came in and carefully removed them, starting all the way down from the boots and up to the gorget. The armor pieces were as big as the Quartzes themselves and weigh half as much. Her breastplate and backplate were the size of their torsos while her gauntlets and greaves were as long as their arms.

Without her armor, Yellow Diamond wore only a brass yellow quilted tunic, fastened in the front by five black straps. She sat on her chair that faced the Atlas Table, a large holographic table that was eight feet wide and five feet long. It projected a very detailed map of Earth that was constantly updated by Homeworld scientists who were studying the planet. Before Earth, it used to project other planets that had since been colonized or conquered. "Pearl," she suddenly said, her head tilting on her right hand in boredom. "Are there any messages left while I was gone?"

"There is one, my Diamond." Yellow Pearl replied politely. "It's from Blue Diamond."

"What does it say?"

"It's an invitation…" The servant paused for a moment, hesitant to continue, but she did. "To a tourney… at the newly built Sky Arena."

 _Stars be damned…_ "A tourney?" Her hands clenched the armrests as hard as she clenched her teeth. " _A_ _tourney_!?" She raised her voice, causing the whole room to shake violently. Hot ash spew out from the braziers as the lighting in the room dimmed and flickered. Yellow Pearl was quivering in fear. "Is my sister _that_ oblivious to the fact that there's a rebellion raging on in this planet of hers?"

"M-Maybe she just wants to keep her subjects calm and in order." Yellow Pearl said in an effort to calm her mistress down before she destroys both of them inside her room. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt to attend a tourney once in a while, my Diamond. It's good for the public image."

" _Public image_?" Yellow Diamond spat the words out like venom. "Pink Diamond once had public image and looked where it had gotten her into; her gemstone shattered and her _beloved_ general turned traitor to her own kind. 'Your kindness and compassion will be the end of you, sister.' I had told her, and she simply laughed at the warning." She chuckled darkly. "Well, I guess look at who's laughing now."

"So, what should I write back to Blue Diamond?" Yellow Pearl asked nonchalantly.

"Tell her I will not attend her tourney due to the dire situation on ground. Embellish it with flattery and courteous words if want, I don't care, just make it happen."

"Her Grace might be disappointed at your absence," said the servant as she composed the letter on the holographic desktop.

"To hell if she's disappointed. I'm fighting _her_ battles while she hosts tourneys and invites visitors, nobles and investors into a warzone. She even has the audacity to use one of _my_ commanders and White Diamond's emissary to hunt down a wretched mixed fusion without our consent." She held a growl in her throat before resting her head in its previous position. "Once I'm done clearing this planet of rebels, I don't even care if she hosts a hundred tourneys in my name."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **First of all, I would like to apologize for releasing this chapter a bit late than intended. I wanted to put a 'Blue Diamond' section in this chapter but there was no idea on how to make it 2000 words long. Now for a few explanations and facts for some parts of this chapter and perhaps the whole story.**

 **Basically Homeworld (or better known as the planet Ellysia) has four realms which reflects the four Diamonds of the Great Diamond Authority (GDA). North is ruled by White Diamond, West is Yellow Diamond, and so on. Neo Adamas is considered as an independent city-state that is governed by the GDA.**

 **All realms follow the caste system though each of them use a different type of caste-system. The Eastern Realm (Blue Diamond's territory) follows a class-based/meritocratic caste system while the Western Realm is more military-based.**

 **To describe Caerulean embroidery, think of it as a mix between Arabic and Indian designs. Since Blue Diamond's appearance and throne does resemble Indian and Muslim culture.**

 **In my view, I think mixed fusions are named after their resemblance to their non-fusion counterparts. A Homeworld Opal may have the same pointed nose and height as a fusion Opal, but they don't have the extra arms. Same thing goes for Homeworld Garnets and Sugillites.**

 **In regards to Garnets, they are actually a Gem group just like Quartzes and have different variants. Currently I'm writing a personal codex that can help navigate through the various Gem groups and sub-groups.**

 **Fun Fact: _Felis_ means Cat or Thief in Latin. Suiting name huh?**

 **P.S. I'll give an internet high-five to who ever figured out why I used the word ' _Tickler_ ' in the 'Yellow Diamond' section.**


	12. Announcement

**Sorry for the lack of update this week. I just wanted to let you guys know that this story will be on hold for revision.**

 **The reason for this is that the Summer of Steven episodes, especially the last few ones, have added more information about the Rebellion. It's quite similar to my version of the Rebellion, so I thought why not merge it with my story and alter it.**

 **I know that most people would call this a 'rewrite', but I prefer the word 'revise'. I'm not ditching the original plot, I'll just alter it a bit with information from Summer of Steven.** **Information I've introduced in my previous chapters will still be used and characters and their roles will stay the same, albeit with some minor alterations.**

 **I'll try to reduce the amount of words per chapter and also cover up the 750 year duration of the war without creating up to 100 chapters.**

 **For my regular readers out there, the story will still be here until I've completed a portion of the revised edition.**

 **In the meantime, I've also decided to write some short stories, mostly Homeworld stories which will incorporate my version of SU's lore. One's already available in my profile which tells about Homeworld's belief about fusion.**

 **Anyways, that's all I have to say for now.**


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